File(s) not publicly available
Comparison of contrasting Prolog trace output formats
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 14:07 authored by M.J. Patel, J.B.H. du Boulay, C. TaylorThis paper reports on a comparative study of three Prolog trace packages. Forty-three students of an introductory Prolog course solved five different Prolog programming problems in each of three different conditions (using isomorphic problem variants to disguise recurring tasks). Each of the three conditions provided subjects with static screen-snapshot-mockups derived from one of three different trace packages (“conventional” Spy; “graphical AND/OR tree-based” TPM*; “informative textual” EPTB). When traces explicitly displayed the information asked for in the problem, subjects solved the problems more quickly. Conversely, when trace output obscured the required information (or necessitated difficult detective work to uncover the information), solution times were longer and answers less accurate. Deciding on a “good” format for display is thus a task-dependent decision, and impacts directly on the user's cognitive ability to solve a problem.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
International Journal of Human-Computer StudiesISSN
1071-5819External DOI
Issue
2Volume
47Page range
289-322Department affiliated with
- Informatics Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes