computer science

Thomas R. G. Green

Thomas R. G. Green is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Thomas R. G. Green rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas R. G.

Key takeaways

Thomas R. G. Green belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Thomas R. G. Green to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Thomas R. G. Green from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thomas R. G. Green (born 19 December 1941) is a British cognitive scientist, and Visiting Professor at the University of York, known for his contribution to cognitive modelling and the development of the concept of cognitive dimensions of notations. In the 1980s Green was working for MRC Applied Psychology Unit in Cambridge, and became reader in computing at the Open University. In 2015 he is Visiting Professor at the Department of Computer Science of the University of York, and is affiliated with the Department of Computer Science of the University of Leeds. His research interests reaches from "Programming language design and cognitive psychology", "Interaction as an action language", and "Cognitive dimensions of notations and devices" to "Models of information artifacts" and "Virtual devices as research tools."

Selected publications Thomas R. G. Green, Stephen J. Payne. The Psychology of computer use, Academic Press, 1983. Benyon, David, and Thomas Green. Conceptual modeling for user interface development. Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 1998. Articles, a selection:

Payne, Stephen J., and Thomas RG Green. "Task-action grammars: A model of the mental representation of task languages." Human-computer interaction 2.2 (1986): 93-133. Green, Thomas RG. "Cognitive dimensions of notations." in: A. Sutcliffe and Macaulay, (eds.), People and Computers V (1989): 443–460. Green, Thomas RG, Marian Petre, and R. K. E. Bellamy. "Comprehensibility of visual and textual programs: A test of superlativism against the’match-mismatch’conjecture." ESP 91.743 (1991): 121–146. Green, Thomas RG, and Marian Petre. "When visual programs are harder to read than textual programs." Human-Computer Interaction: Tasks and Organisation, Proceedings of ECCE-6 (6th European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics). GC van der Veer, MJ Tauber, S. Bagnarola and M. Antavolits. Rome, CUD. 1992. Green, Thomas R. G., and Marian Petre. "Usability analysis of visual programming environments: a ‘cognitive dimensions’ framework." Journal of Visual Languages & Computing 7.2 (1996): 131–174.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Thomas R. G. Green

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Thomas R. G. Green claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Thomas R. G. Green before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Thomas R. G. Green ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Thomas R. G. Green

In research: Thomas R. G. Green appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Thomas R. G. Green in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Thomas R. G. Green is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1941 births, British cognitive scientists, Cognitive psychology stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Thomas R. G. Green outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Thomas R. G. Green in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Thomas R. G. Green means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Thomas R. G. Green out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thomas R. G. Green in simple terms?

Thomas R. G.

Why does Thomas R. G. Green matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Thomas R. G. Green?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Thomas R. G. Green.