# Dr. Felienne Hermans: Looking Inside The Programmer's Brain

EP-097 | April 19, 2021 | 49:01




Robby speaks with Dr. Felienne Hermans, Author and Associate Professor at Leiden University. They discuss the importance of building mental models, the difference between short-term and working memory, and how to take control of your own onboarding by confirming assumptions and asking effective questions. Dr. Felienne also talks about steps to understand a new-to-you codebase, as well as exercises to improve how you read code.





## Show Notes

Robby speaks with Dr. Felienne Hermans, Author and Associate Professor at Leiden University. They discuss the importance of building mental models, the difference between short-term and working memory, and how to take control of your own onboarding by confirming assumptions and asking effective questions. Dr. Felienne also talks about steps to understand a new-to-you codebase, as well as exercises to improve how you read code.

## Helpful Links

- [Dr. Felienne's Website](https://felienne.com)
- [Dr. Felienne's Twitter](https://twitter.com/felienne)
- [The Programmers Brain](https://www.manning.com/books/the-programmers-brain)
- [Book Recommendation] [What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307269191/r)

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## Transcript