A controlled experiment to evaluate the effects of mindfulness in software engineering

Abstract

Context. Many reports support the fact that some psycho-social aspects of software engineers are key factors for the quality of the software development process and its resulting products. Based on the experience of some of the authors after more than a year of practising mindfulness-a meditation technique aimed to increase clearness of mind and awareness-we guessed that it could be interesting to empirically evaluate whether mindfulness affects positively not only the behaviour but also the professional performance of software engineers.Goal. In this paper, we present a quasi-experiment carried out at the University of Seville to evaluate whether Software Engineering & Information Systems students enhance their conceptual modelling skills after the continued daily practice of mindfulness during four weeks.Method. Students were divided into two groups: one group practised mindfulness, and the other-the control group-were trained in public speaking. In order to study the possible cause-and-effect relationship, effectiveness (the rate of model elements correctly identified) and efficiency (the number of model elements correctly identified per unit of time) of the students developing conceptual modelling exercises were measured before and after taking the mind-fulness and public speaking sessions.Results. The experiment results have revealed that the students who practised mindfulness have become more efficient in develop-ing conceptual models than those who attended the public speaking sessions. With respect to effectiveness, some enhancement have been observed, although not as significant as in the case of efficiency.Conclusions. This rising trend in effectiveness suggests that the number of sessions could have been insufficient and that a longer period of sessions could have also enhanced effectiveness significantly.

Don’t Forget to Breathe: A Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Practices in Agile Project Teams

“…The concept has then been introduced in the field of contemporary psychology by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the mid-1980s, as 'paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally' [7,8]. Since then mindfulness has been applied in many fields such as education [9], law [10], "prison programs" [11], "IT" [12], and "business" [13] to stimulate more positive responses and better-decision making. While there is a growing base of evidence that specific mindfulness practices can have a positive effect on human behaviour, little is known on its impact in professional organizations such as agile teams.…”

“…Mindfulness practices, similarly to agile practices, provide very specific patterns of action and reproducible protocols, routines that can help build mindful behaviour in organizations [33]. For example, Bernárdez et al [12] conducted an experiment comparing groups of students conducting a mindfulness exercise to a control group practicing public speaking, with the former being more efficient in developing conceptual models.…”

“…The mindfulness breathing exercises (for a protocol compare [34]) as well as the Stravinsky 2 placebo exercise were both guided by experienced mindfulness instructors to give the best results. The breathing exercise was chosen due to its short nature, accessibility and prior exploration in the context of software teams [12].…”

Mindfulness and Technology

“…Such intentions are admirable, but the instrumentality with which design and technology is approached and deployed, can be problematic when mindfulness enters this paradigm. Existing work often emphasizes usefulness, like enhancing work performance [5,15] or reducing stress [29], reflecting the positivist epistemology in HCI. Such deployment of mindfulness echoes remarks by the authors of seminal book The Embodied Mind [28], Varela, Thompson & Rosch, who note that the folk understanding of mindfulness in America has a tendency to emphasize states of altered consciousness (increased concentration, trance-like dissociation and medically beneficial ways to relax) as means to get away from "mundane, unconcentrated, unrelaxed, nondissociated, lower state of reality" [28:23].…”

Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety of Software Engineers Using Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

“…Although such social skills are very important in the career of a software engineer, it has been observed that novice software engineers (i.e. individuals who have less than one year of industrial experience) are worried when making presentation or meeting with others [1]. To date, a number of studies have attempted to evaluate the impact of social skills in SE careers.…”