Modeling comprehension processes in software development

As programs become more complex and larger, the sheer volume of information to be comprehended by developers becomes daunting. Software development is fraught with complexity that is difficult to identify a priori. Complexity is relative to the task, the developer's experience and the resources available. In this research, we identify comprehension processes applied in software development, and the cognitive loads associated with these processes. We present an abstraction of the cognitive environment of the software developer, and introduce techniques to minimize the cognitive effort in the short-term and the long-term.