Appendix A: Likert Scale for Control Study

Likert Scale for Control Study

Cognitive Code Study — Code Paths Likert Scale

A Likert Scale is a psychometric scale that is commonly used in Cognitive Load Theory–driven trials to gauge the subjective level of effort someone feels they need to apply to understand a given stimulus. Participants assigned to the control cell were shown each of the ten Joda-Time code listings reproduced below and asked “How hard is this method to understand?” on a seven-point Likert scale anchored at “Very easy” (1) and “Very hard” (7). The form also captured the participant’s email address as an identifier.

The ten code listings, in the order presented:

1. DateTimeFormatter#parseDateTime

2. DateTimeFormatter#requireParser

3. DateTimeFormatter#selectChronology

4. DateTimeParserBucket constructor

5. InternalParser interface definition

6. DateTimeUtils#getChronology

7. ISOChronology#getInstance() (no-arg)

8. ISOChronology#getInstance(DateTimeZone)

9. DateTimeFormatterBuilder.Composite#parseInto

10. DateTimeFormatterBuilder.NumberFormatter#parseInto

The instrument was distributed via Google Forms; the rendered form, including the code listings and the Likert response widget for each, is reproduced page-by-page below.