Speaker: Ahmad Jbara, HU and Netanya

Title: Code Regularity: A New Structural Property and its Effect on Code Complexity and Comprehension

Abstract

It is naturally easier to comprehend simple code relative to complicated code. We suggest that 

code regularity — where the same structures are repeated time after time — may significantly 

reduce complexity, because once one figures out the basic repeated element it is easier to 

understand additional instances. We demonstrate this by controlled experiments where 

subjects perform cognitive tasks on different versions of the same basic function. The results also 

suggest a context-sensitive model of complexity, where syntactic constructs are weighted by their place 

in the sequence.