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Despite anecdotal evidence, no scientific studies have explored the relationship between programmer\u2019s block and writer\u2019s block.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>The primary objective of this study is to study the presence of blocks during programming and their potential causes.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>We conducted semi-structured interviews with experienced programmers to capture their processes, the problems they face, and potential causes. Subsequently, we analyzed the responses through the lens of writing.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>We found that among the programmer\u2019s problems during programming, several display strong similarities to writer\u2019s block. Moreover, when investigating possible causes of such blocks, we found a strong relationship between programming and writing activities as well as typical writing strategies employed by programmers.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Strong similarities between programming and writing challenges, processes, and strategies confirm the existence of programmer\u2019s block with similar causes to writer\u2019s block. Thus, strategies from writing used to resolve blocks should be applicable in programming, helping developers to overcome phases of being stuck. Research at the intersection of both areas could lead to productivity gains through reduced developer downtimes.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s10664-024-10542-9","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,30]],"date-time":"2024-10-30T15:42:30Z","timestamp":1730302950000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Toward a theory on programmer\u2019s block inspired by writer\u2019s block"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"30","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-7091-0880","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Belinda","family":"Schantong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Norbert","family":"Siegmund","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Janet","family":"Siegmund","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"10542_CR1","unstructured":"Adams-Tukiendorf M (2008) Overcoming Writer\u2019s Block in an MA Seminar. 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