Átomos de confusão: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

Abstract

Code comprehension is a fundamental cognitive activity in software development, directly impacting system maintenance and quality. However, certain syntactic patterns, called “Atoms of Confusion” (AoCs), tend to lead developers to misinterpretations, even though they are technically correct. Given the dispersion of knowledge on the subject, this work presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with the aim of consolidating the state of the art on ACs and their impacts on software engineering. The research was conducted based on a rigorous protocol (PICOC), resulting in the selection and analysis of 32 primary studies published between 2017 and 2025. The results indicate that the taxonomy of atoms has evolved from an initial focus on C/C++ to include managed (Java) and dynamic (JavaScript) languages, revealing that confusion is a universal phenomenon, but one shaped by the language paradigm. Empirical evidence confirms that the presence of ACs increases cognitive load, reading time, and the propensity for errors, although recent studies on mature Java systems suggest that cases in which an atom results in functional defects are rare. A technological gap was also identified in the absence of real-time detection tools (IDE plugins) and the emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a new frontier, acting both as a refactoring agent and as a potential propagator of confusion. It is concluded that effective mitigation of AoC requires a hybrid approach, combining education, active barriers in development pipelines, and the cautious use of AI-based coding assistants.