Over my conversation with my S.O. last night, I reflected that multitasking was a lot more debilitating on productivity in programming than drawing. We wondered if programming is similar to other linguistic tasks, like writing, and that started the quick dive into the question:
Is writing code similar to writing a blog post?
What the research says
There has been some studies based on the subject, particularly with fMRI scans, but most of these research has been done on code review/ reading rather than developing code.
An fMRI study of code review and expertise reveals that while there’s significant overlap between the brain portions used by code review and prose review, there is a distinct difference in the fMRI scans of the two activities, and task distinctions
are modulated by expertise, such that greater skill predicts a
less differentiated neural representation.
There’s a reddit thread on r/askscience on the subject as well:
The implications
Although multitasking negatively implicates productivity, there are some research that shows that people adept at multitasking receive some cognitive and productivity benefits as well.
The implication of programming using language processing portions of the brain is that unlike tasks like painting or cooking, it may be a lot more distracting to listen to a podcast and write code at the same time due to interference.
These days, I usually code in silence.
What about Visual Programming?
In the CS50 course that I am on, we are introduced to the logic of creating programs rather than learning the language of programming first, by way of a (VPL) Visual Programming Language, Scratch.
I think it would be interesting to find out if Visual Programming Language and Text-based Programming Languages activate the same regions of the brain.
But there are challenges in the adoption rate of VPL for a multitude of reasons, even though it offers a lower barrier of entry into programming. Another challenge is to develop a VPL which is fully visual, as it would have benefits for non-English speaking learners and programmers with language-based learning disabilities.
Stuff I Have Learnt 