Yes absolutely, I don't know where I read it originally but it was easy to google it. Scientists put programmers in an MRI scanner and then analyzed which brain centers were activated when they started to study/read source code. Their conclusion was that primarily the "language" center of the brain was activated.
Now, my take on it is that I'm not surprised by this outcome, not just because "programming language" has the word 'language' in it, but also remember the phrase "well written software reads like prose" (or like a novel).
Also remember the importance of stuff like choosing good (meaningful) variable names, and so on. Having an excellent command of native or natural language has got to be a foundational pillar for at least a large part of programming.
On the other hand, I noticed that there are many articles on this topic, but all of them seem to refer to the same scientific paper with the MRI scanner, so the scientific basis seems to be a bit narrow (only one group who researched it), but it seems reliable enough.
However, the scope of the study is fairly narrow - only reading source code. What about writing, what about debugging, testing, what about other activities associated with 'programming'? I dare to make a prediction that additional "centers" will be activated, but these kind of scenarios weren't scientifically studied (with MRI and whatnot).
Also, reading source code may be a little like reading a book (detective novel?) but grokking a complex system also seem akin to taking apart a complex piece of machinery.
So all in all I believe the basic premise of the theory but I'm convinced that it's only part of the story and the full picture is a lot more complex and nuanced.
Thanks a bunch! I agree with you entirely. I read the articles and the thing is, we're just going to have to wait for more in-depth studies to come out to form meaningful opinions on the subject. Still a very interesting read and I recommend it to any developer on here.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
Yes absolutely, I don't know where I read it originally but it was easy to google it. Scientists put programmers in an MRI scanner and then analyzed which brain centers were activated when they started to study/read source code. Their conclusion was that primarily the "language" center of the brain was activated.
In case you'd want to read the original research paper: infosun.fim.uni-passau.de/cl/publi... however here is a good layman's summary:
medium.com/javascript-scene/are-pr...
and another one:
huffingtonpost.com/chris-parnin/sc...
and some discussions:
reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/7...
Now, my take on it is that I'm not surprised by this outcome, not just because "programming language" has the word 'language' in it, but also remember the phrase "well written software reads like prose" (or like a novel).
Also remember the importance of stuff like choosing good (meaningful) variable names, and so on. Having an excellent command of native or natural language has got to be a foundational pillar for at least a large part of programming.
On the other hand, I noticed that there are many articles on this topic, but all of them seem to refer to the same scientific paper with the MRI scanner, so the scientific basis seems to be a bit narrow (only one group who researched it), but it seems reliable enough.
However, the scope of the study is fairly narrow - only reading source code. What about writing, what about debugging, testing, what about other activities associated with 'programming'? I dare to make a prediction that additional "centers" will be activated, but these kind of scenarios weren't scientifically studied (with MRI and whatnot).
Also, reading source code may be a little like reading a book (detective novel?) but grokking a complex system also seem akin to taking apart a complex piece of machinery.
So all in all I believe the basic premise of the theory but I'm convinced that it's only part of the story and the full picture is a lot more complex and nuanced.
Thanks a bunch! I agree with you entirely. I read the articles and the thing is, we're just going to have to wait for more in-depth studies to come out to form meaningful opinions on the subject. Still a very interesting read and I recommend it to any developer on here.