Abstract:
This paper outlines research aimed at investigating similarities and differences between human search patterns in ordinary texts and in code through the lens of the foraging paradigm. Visual foraging studies transfer methods from behavioral ecology to the study of human search. Information foraging theory applies these methods to studying human interaction with information technology. The perspective of information foraging in code navigation and comprehension was explored in previous research. Because code is a special form of text, it should be expanded by the text dimension. Due to its highly formalized structure with non-linear control flow, code resembles a natural foraging scenario more than regular text. We are therefore interested in how human search patterns in code compare to those found for normal text. We outline an experimental approach to that end.
PPIG 2026 - 37th Annual Workshop
A Text Foraging Perspective on Processing Code