KRISTEN FOSTER-MARKS

Research & Scholarship

Research & Scholarship

October 2024 · Research Article

“My code is shit”: Negative automatic thoughts and outcomes of a behavioral experiment for code review anxiety

This co-authored preprint reports on a mixed-methods intervention study on mitigating code review anxiety. The study developed and assessed a guided behavioral experiment toolkit. The findings indicated that the toolkit reduced code review anxiety and decreased the believability of negative automatic thoughts (NATs).

I include this work here because it demonstrates my experience in conducting empirical research in workplace learning contexts, and because it connects directly to my applied learning-design practice. The behavioral experiment examined here shares its cognitive-behavioral foundation with the Code Review Anxiety Workbook featured on my Learning Design page. Together the two artifacts show a praxis loop — research informing design, and design extending research into practice.

Lee, C. S., Hicks, C. M., & Foster-Marks, K. L. (2024). “My code is shit”: Negative automatic thoughts and outcomes of a behavioral experiment for code review anxiety. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/hz3et

Read the preprint →

· Commentary

Microinclusions: a small way to increase sense of belonging and fit on tech teams

A commentary I wrote for the Developer Success Lab’s Developer Science Review, responding to Muragishi et al.’s (2023) research on microinclusions — the small acts of interpersonal treatment that signal whether others are receptive to and supportive of our contributions to shared work. Across four experiments, the authors found these acts especially bolster a sense of fit for women in technology, whose contributions are too often marginalized.

I include it because it connects the empirical research to my own lived experience on tech teams and issues a practical challenge: to notice, and to practice, microinclusions in our everyday work.

Continue reading →