Mental Represenations Constructed by Experts and Novices in Object-Oriented Porgram Comprehension

摘要

Previous studies on program comprehension were carried out largely in the context of procedural languages. Our purpose is to develop and evaluate a cognitive model of object-oriented (OO) program understanding. Our model is based on the van Dijk and Kinstch's model of text understaning (1983). One key aspect of this throretical approach is the distinction between two kinds of representation the reader might construct from a text: the textbase and the situation model. On the basis of results of an experiment we have conducted, we evaluate the cognitive validity of this distinction in OO program understanding. We examine how the construction of these two representations is differentially affected by the programmer's exeprtise and how they evolve differentially over time.