Shop & save on bulk holiday gifting
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Felienne Hermans
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Programmer's Brain: What every programmer needs to know about cognition

by Felienne Hermans (Author)

Purchase options and add-ons

Your brain responds in a predictable way when it encounters new or difficult tasks. This unique book teaches you concrete techniques rooted in cognitive science that will improve the way you learn and think about code.

Summary
In The Programmer’s Brain: What every programmer needs to know about cognition you will learn:

Fast and effective ways to master new programming languages
Speed reading skills to quickly comprehend new code
Techniques to unravel the meaning of complex code
Ways to learn new syntax and keep it memorized
Writing code that is easy for others to read
Picking the right names for your variables
Making your codebase more understandable to newcomers
Onboarding new developers to your team

Learn how to optimize your brain’s natural cognitive processes to read code more easily, write code faster, and pick up new languages in much less time. This book will help you through the confusion you feel when faced with strange and complex code, and explain a codebase in ways that can make a new team member productive in days!

Foreword by Jon Skeet.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the technology
Take advantage of your brain’s natural processes to be a better programmer. Techniques based in cognitive science make it possible to learn new languages faster, improve productivity, reduce the need for code rewrites, and more. This unique book will help you achieve these gains.

About the book
The Programmer’s Brain unlocks the way we think about code. It offers scientifically sound techniques that can radically improve the way you master new technology, comprehend code, and memorize syntax. You’ll learn how to benefit from productive struggle and turn confusion into a learning tool. Along the way, you’ll discover how to create study resources as you become an expert at teaching yourself and bringing new colleagues up to speed.

What's inside

Understand how your brain sees code
Speed reading skills to learn code quickly
Techniques to unravel complex code
Tips for making codebases understandable

About the reader
For programmers who have experience working in more than one language.

About the author
Dr. Felienne Hermans is an associate professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She has spent the last decade researching programming, how to learn and how to teach it.

Table of Contents
PART 1 ON READING CODE BETTER
1 Decoding your confusion while coding
2 Speed reading for code
3 How to learn programming syntax quickly
4 How to read complex code
PART 2 ON THINKING ABOUT CODE
5 Reaching a deeper understanding of code
6 Getting better at solving programming problems
7 Misconceptions: Bugs in thinking
PART 3 ON WRITING BETTER CODE
8 How to get better at naming things
9 Avoiding bad code and cognitive load: Two frameworks
10 Getting better at solving complex problems
PART 4 ON COLLABORATING ON CODE
11 The act of writing code
12 Designing and improving larger systems
13 How to onboard new developers
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. ISBN-10
    1617298670
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1617298677
  3. Publisher
    Manning
  4. Publication date
    September 7, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    7.38 x 0.6 x 9.25 inches
  7. Print length
    256 pages
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great book with deep insights into the bridge between programming and the human mind."—Mike Taylor, CGI
"Helps you understand how your brain works and how you can use it more effectively to read, write, and collaborate on code."—Ben McNamara, DataGeek
"Teaches you science-based habits to reduce your mental workload and hack your way to becoming a rockstar programmer!"—Daniela Zapata Riesco, M1 Finance
"If you've ever wondered what working smarter instead of harder is supposed to look like, you should read this book. I am already seeing improvements in my day-to-day work."—Zhijun Liu, Mediaocean

From the Back Cover

The Programmer's Brain unlocks the way we think about code. It offers scientifically sound techniques that canradically improve the way you master new technology, comprehend code, andmemorize syntax. You'll learn how to benefit from productive struggle and turn confusion into a learning tool. Along the way, you'll discover how to create study resources as you become an expert at teaching yourself and bringing new colleagues up to speed.

Product details

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Felienne Hermans

Felienne Hermans

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Felienne is associate professor at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science at Leiden University, where she heads the PERL research group, focused on programming education. She also works at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam one day a week, where she teaches prospective computer science teachers.

Felienne is the creator of the Hedy programming language, and was one of the founders of the Joy of Coding conference. Since 2016, she has been a host at SE radio, one of the most popular software engineering podcasts on the web. Felienne is the author of “The Programmer’s Brain” a book that helps programmers understand how their brains work and how to use it more effectively. In 2021, Felienne was awarded the Dutch Prize for ICT research.

Felienne is a member the board of I&I, the Dutch association of high-school computer science teachers, and of TC39, the committee that designs JavaScript.