> And to echo your argument: in familiar environments those shortcuts are often a good idea!
Only to continue to reaffirm the original post, this was some of the basis for my dissertation. Lower-level practice, or exposure to tons of interactive worked examples, allowed students to train the "mental muscle memory" for coding syntax to learn the more general CS concept (like loops instead of for(int i = 0...). The shortcut in this case is learning what the syntax for a loop looks like so that it can BECOME a shortcut. Once its automatic, then it can be compartmentalized as "loop" instead of getting anxious over where the semicolons go.
Only to continue to reaffirm the original post, this was some of the basis for my dissertation. Lower-level practice, or exposure to tons of interactive worked examples, allowed students to train the "mental muscle memory" for coding syntax to learn the more general CS concept (like loops instead of for(int i = 0...). The shortcut in this case is learning what the syntax for a loop looks like so that it can BECOME a shortcut. Once its automatic, then it can be compartmentalized as "loop" instead of getting anxious over where the semicolons go.