Richard,
While playing with the data, I was struck by two prominent lines I kept seeing: table(loc_written) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 3 8 1 7 3 3 ^ ^I don't suppose it has any significance at all for your results, but I wonder why the loc_written data were so clumpy.
Returning to your original question. I suspect that people are ticking boxes that sound about right rather than calculating the numbers. The context of the experiment does not allow much time for reflection and calculation. These LOC and experience questions are part of the introduction that occurs when I am introducing the experiment and waiting for everybody to turn up. Having people discuss the issue before hand and then giving them time to try and calculate reliable answers might produce more consistent answers. On a related note. I wonder if the ratio of lines of code written divided by lines of code in the final program is a reliable measure of experience (at least during the first few years). Beginners do seem to write and throw away much more code than more experienced people. -- Derek M. Jones tel: +44 (0) 1252 520 667 Knowledge Software Ltd blog:shape-of-code.coding-guidelines.com Source code analysis http://www.knosof.co.uk -- The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302).
