Thomas Owens

303 reputation

bio	website
	location	Nashua, NH
	age	25
visits	member for	1 year, 5 months
	seen	2 days ago
stats	profile views	15

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology in May 2011. I currently work for UTC Aerospace Systems in Massachusetts. My full CV is available on StackOverflow Careers and LinkedIn.

My professional interests include software project management, software engineering process, software measurements and metrics, leadership, and professionalism in software engineering. I'm also a casual student of psychology and sociology, especially as they apply to a business context. Personally, I have taken up photography as a hobby. I'm also a casual gamer.

If you want to contact me, the best method is via email at thomas.j.owens@gmail.com. You can add me to a circle on Google+.

	303 reputation	bio	website		visits	member for	1 year, 5 months
18 badges		location	Nashua, NH		seen	2 days ago

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May 24	comment	When rating, is it better to set the expected goal in the middle with hard to reach upper bounds or higher with desired outcomes at the upper bounds? I glanced at that PDF. I need to read more about goal setting theory, but I'm more interested in how the scale measure for setting goals that are attainable (setting your goal at a 3 instead of a 4.5, for example, because a score of >4.5 is too difficult to attain) impacts the ability to reach the goal. Are people "turned off" by having the high end of a scale unattainable, even if the target is easily attainable?
May 23	asked	When rating, is it better to set the expected goal in the middle with hard to reach upper bounds or higher with desired outcomes at the upper bounds?
Apr 9	comment	What psychological factors account for code readability? There is research for metrics regarding software source code readability, based on readability metrics for natural languages: Buse and Weimer, Buse and Weimer, Dorn. These don't discuss the psychological roots, however, but may help address your second paragraph about applying readability metrics to source code, how to determine if code is readable, and how to make readable code.
Jan 18	awarded	Yearling
Dec 5	comment	Is the Myer Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) a reasonable scientific theory? @Ruben Some organizations have employees take the MBTI survey and include the results in their records. Managers can use the results to interact more efficiently with their staff by knowing what their MBTI types are. For example, a manager might schedule more frequent (and perhaps shorter) 1-on-1 meetings with extroverts than introverts, who would have less frequent 1-on-1 meetings only when there is something meaningful to discuss. The other type indicators might help in career development, promotion, or identifying potential conflicts or synergies in members of a project team.
Sep 28	comment	What is the name of the effect whereby socialising in a group reinforces group beliefs? Might this be somewhat related to a previous, unanswered question of my own? I'm trying to figure out if maybe the answers you receive might be beneficial to helping me answer my question.
Jul 25	revised	What research exists in the areas of formulating questions and “problem shaping”? added 396 characters in body
Jul 24	revised	What research exists in the areas of formulating questions and “problem shaping”? added 313 characters in body; edited title
Jul 24	awarded	Commentator
Jul 24	comment	Is StackExchange.com Addiction Dangerous? There are other examples of people discussing addiction on Stack Exchange sites. For example, Meta Stack Overflow has an addiction tag. The problem with your search is that you are ignoring the original trilogy plus it appears that meta sites (where this discussion would be happening) are lower in the rankings.
Jul 24	revised	What research exists in the areas of formulating questions and “problem shaping”? added 237 characters in body
Jul 24	asked	What research exists in the areas of formulating questions and “problem shaping”?
Jul 24	revised	Is the Myer Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) a reasonable scientific theory? added 4 characters in body
Jul 22	awarded	Teacher
Jul 22	comment	Is the Myer Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) a reasonable scientific theory? @adb MBTI isn't a binary approach. Although it indicates the type that is favored, all of the texts that I've read indicate that it's only a preference. It's recognized that, in different situations, people will rely on types other than their preference. It also doesn't indicate the strength of preference.
Jul 22	answered	Is the Myer Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) a reasonable scientific theory?
Jul 18	revised	A study about preference for making relatively vs. absolute more money? This appears to be about decision making to me, so I added the appropriate tag.
Jul 18	suggested	suggested edit on A study about preference for making relatively vs. absolute more money?
Jul 16	comment	Can one be effective while pulling multiple all-nighters? Define effective. For example, I was reading Dan Ariely's The Honest Truth about Dishonesty last night and he cited a study where someone who is mentally overtaxed (including exhausted) makes decisions based on the short-term rather than thinking about the long-term effects of any decision. Is this an example of being ineffective?
Jul 11	comment	Can critical thinking be taught? Something relevant might be the idea of progressive education. Those who support progressive education typically emphasize problem solving skills and critical thinking. I wonder if there is work in this topic to support how you can teach or convey critical thinking to students.