An Empirical Validation of Cognitive Complexity as a Measure of Source Code Understandability
Marvin Muñoz Barón, Marvin Wyrich, Stefan Wagner
Abstract
Background: Developers spend a lot of their time on understanding source code. Static code analysis tools can draw attention to code that is difficult for developers to understand. However, most of the findings are based on non-validated metrics, which can lead to confusion and code that is hard to understand not being identified.
Topics & Concepts
Computer scienceSource codeMeasure (data warehouse)Code (set theory)Code reviewProgramming languageConfusionStatic program analysisEmpirical researchData miningSoftware engineeringCognitionOpen sourceSoftware qualityKPI-driven code analysisProgram comprehensionCognitive complexityArtificial intelligenceKey (lock)Software metricMachine learningTheoretical computer scienceInformation retrievalSoftware Engineering ResearchSoftware Reliability and Analysis ResearchOpen Source Software Innovations