Programming Style: Influences, Factors, and Elements

As a consequence of various situational and personal factors, programmers use a variety of styles when performing software development and maintenance tasks. In this paper, we develop a contextual framework that links situational, task-oriented, and individual factors to a set of traits. These traits are expressed as behavioural modifiers, and thus, influence one´s performance of tasks such as computer programming, as well as influencing the skills upon which programming is based (e.g., problem solving, planning). To demonstrate the use of the framework, we examine how risk-tolerance is influenced by contextual factors and show how this trait influences programming style. We also document some preliminary components of programming style.