Trustworthiness Perceptions of Computer Code: A Heuristic-Systematic Processing Model

Abstract

The popularity of code reuse and the prospect of computer generated code raises questions of how programmers trust in computer code. Psychological understanding of computer code perceptions and comprehension has yet to be explored in regards to the decision making processes involved with software development and reuse practices. A review of current literature on trust, automation, software reuse, and the intersection of the three is presented. The authors propose a theoretical model of this decision making process, building off of a heuristic-systematic model of persuasion. Future research directions and possible applications are discussed.