WAP: Does Reviewer Age Affect Code Review Performance?

We focus on developer code review performance, and analyze whether the age of a subject affects the efficiency and preciseness of their code. Generally, older coders have more experience. Therefore, the age is considered to positively affect code review. However, in our past study, code understanding speed was relatively slow for older subjects, and memory is needed to understand programs. Similarly, during code review, a subject's age may affect efficiency (e.g., the number of indications per unit time). In the experiment, subjects reviewed source code, referring to mini specification documents. When the code did not follow the document, the subjects indicated the error. We classified subjects into senior and junior groups. In the analysis, we stratified the results based on age, and used correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression to clarify the relationship between age and review performance. We found that age does not affect the efficiency and correctness of code review. Also, the software development experience of subjects is not significantly correlated to performance.

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