An eye-tracking study on the role of scan time in finding source code defects

Authors:
Bonita Sharif;Michael Falcone;Jonathan I. Maletic
Affiliations:
Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio;Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio;Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
Venue:
Proceedings of the Symposium on Eye Tracking Research and Applications
Year:
2012

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Abstract

An eye-tracking study is presented that investigates how individuals find defects in source code. This work partially replicates a previous eye-tracking study by Uwano et al. [2006]. In the Uwano study, eye movements are used to characterize the performance of individuals in reviewing source code. Their analysis showed that subjects who did not spend enough time initially scanning the code tend to take more time finding defects. The study here follows a similar setup with added eye-tracking measures and analyses on effectiveness and efficiency of finding defects with respect to eye gaze. The subject pool is larger and is comprised of a varied skill level. Results indicate that scanning significantly correlates with defect detection time as well as visual effort on relevant defect lines. Results of the study are compared and contrasted to the Uwano study.