Causal Relationships and Programming Outcomes: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Experiment
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between cognition and programming outcomes is important: it can inform interventions that help novices become experts faster. Neuroimaging techniques can measure brain activity, but prior studies of programming report only correlations. We present the first causal neurological investigation of the cognition of programming by using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). TMS permits temporary and noninvasive disruption of specific brain regions. By disrupting brain regions and then measuring programming outcomes, we discover whether a true causal relationship exists. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first use of TMS to study software engineering.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{Ahmad-al:ICSE24,
author = {Hammad Ahmad and
Madeline Endres and
Kaia Newman and
Priscila Santiesteban and
Emma Shedden and
Westley Weimer},
title = {Causal Relationships and Programming Outcomes: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Experiment},
booktitle = {ICSE},
pages = {188:1--188:13},
publisher = {{ACM}},
year = {2024},
}