Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon that affects individuals who doubt their skills and abilities, despite possessing the necessary competencies. This can lead to a lack of confidence and poor performance. While research has explored the impacts of imposter syndrome on students and professionals in various fields, there is limited knowledge on how it affects code comprehension in software engineering. In this exploratory study, we investigate the prevalence of imposter syndrome among final-year undergraduate computer science students and its effects on their code comprehension cognition using an eye tracker and heart rate monitor. Key findings demonstrate that students identifying as male exhibit lower imposter syndrome levels when analyzing code, and higher imposter syndrome is associated with increased time reviewing a code snippet and a lower likelihood of solving it correctly. This study provides initial data on this topic and establishes a foundation for further research to support student academic success and improve developer productivity and mental well-being.

翻译：冒名顶替综合症是一种心理现象，指个体虽然具备必要能力，但仍怀疑自身技能与才能，进而导致缺乏自信和表现不佳。尽管已有研究探讨该现象对多领域学生及专业人士的影响，但关于其如何影响软件工程代码理解的认知过程仍缺乏认知。本探索性研究通过眼动仪与心率监测仪，调查了计算机科学专业本科大四学生中冒名顶替综合症的普遍程度，及其对代码理解认知的影响。关键发现表明：自认为男性的学生在分析代码时表现出的冒名顶替综合症水平较低；而冒名顶替综合症水平较高的学生需要更长时间审查代码片段，且正确解决问题的可能性更低。本研究为该课题提供了初步数据，并为后续支持学生学业成功、提升开发者生产力与心理健康的研究奠定了基础。