摘要：Psychology of programming (PoP) is an interdisciplinary area that covers research into
computer programmers¡¯ cognition; tools and methods for programming related activities; and
programming education. The origins of PoP date back to late 1970s and early 1980s, when
researchers realized that programming tools and technologies should not be evaluated based
on their computational power only, but also on their usability from the human point of view,
that is, based on their cognitive effects. The hope of such a new approach was that
programmers would make fewer errors, produce better software, and work more efficiently.
In the first Workshop on Empirical Studies of Programmers, Ben Shneiderman listed ¡°several
important destinations for researchers: refining the use of current languages, improving
present and future languages, developing special purpose languages, and improving tools and
methods¡± (Shneiderman, 1986, p. 1). During the past two decades, the flow of new
languages, tools, and methods has increased rapidly, the scope of programming work has
expanded, and research interests have extended to cover group activities. Yet the main goal of
PoP¡ªto assist programmers through the benefits of cognitive research¡ªhas remained.
