Researchers used imaging
techniques from the neurosciences and investigated which brain areas are
activated when reading and understanding computer programs. Their amazing
result: Programming is like talking. They found out that the brain regions that
are most active are those that are also relevant in the processing of natural
language. The findings could have far-reaching consequences in the design of
programming languages, programming education, or answering fundamental
questions—such as what constitutes complicated or simple program code. For the
study, the team used the subtraction method, which has proven itself in
neuroscience: In this method, the the subjects first work on a task in the
magnetic resonance tomograph, for the solution of which they have to understand
an extract of the program code.
After a short rest period, they
were asked to check a code snippet for simple syntax errors, which is a routine
task for programmers, meaning it was not a question of understanding. This
procedure was repeated several times. Subsequently, the images of brain
activity during the processing of the routine task were subtracted from the
images of the comprehension test—what remained were the brain regions that are
of particular importance for the process of program comprehension. To see what
happens in the brain during this process, the team used a functional magnetic
resonance tomograph. The image data clearly showed activation in the test
subjects' left brain areas, which are mainly associated with speech
comprehension. Results could also feed back into neuroscience by discovering
new cognitive processes that differ, for example, from reading comprehension
and logical reasoning.
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