Abstract
Shared understandings are important for software development as they guide to effective individual contributions to, and coordination of, the software development process. In this paper, we present the theoretical background and research design for a proposed study on shared mental models within Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development teams. In particular, we plan to perform case studies on several projects and to use cognitive maps analysis to represent and compare the mental models of the involved members so as to gauge the degree of common knowledge and the development of a collective mind as well as to better understand the reasons that underlie team members actions and the way common mental models, if any, arise.
This research was partially supported by NSF Grants 03-41475, 04-14468 and 05-27457. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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© 2006 International Federation for Information Processing
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Crowston, K., Scozzi, B. (2006). The role of mental models in FLOSS development work practices. In: Damiani, E., Fitzgerald, B., Scacchi, W., Scotto, M., Succi, G. (eds) Open Source Systems. OSS 2006. IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, vol 203. Springer, Boston, MA . https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-34226-5_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-34226-5_9
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