Error-correcting strategies and human interaction with computer systems
Adam Victor Reed · 1982
Human problem-solving strategies may be classified as error-preventing (no response is chosen until one can be selected with relatively high confidence) or error-correcting (a tentative solution is formulated immediately, subject to revision in the light of subsequent evidence). Recent work in the author's laboratory indicates a strong preference for error-correcting over error-preventing strategies on the part of human problem-solvers. Unfortunately, most contemporary computer languages and programming environments enforce an error-preventing rather than error-correcting strategy. Using Marvin Minsky's concept of a frame, an error-correcting programming strategy may be thought of as obtaining a program frame with all parameters pre-set to their default values, and then revising those values until a script corresponding to a successful solution is arrived at. The present paper defines a frame-based programming environment which can accommodate error-correcting programming strategies, and discusses the application of such environments to different types of programming languages.