Psycology and Testing

The goal of a good software test was better is a psychological one. We humans often tend to try to reach a given goal directly. So if we are supposed to prove the correctness of a program, we will undeliberately run tests that are less likely to detect a faults. On the other hand, if it is the goal of a test to find a fault, we will automatically orientate our efforts in this direction and produce better tests.

Psychology also helps to explain why this field has been treated so stepmotherly. A lot of programmers start to identify themselves with their programs when working on them for a longer period of time. Since software testing is a destructive activity which is directed against their work they regard it as a direct personal attack. Due to this, a lot of programmers did not help to develop better methods for software quality control or even tried to hinder this process.

Owing to this problem, most western software developing companies make use of external testers or at least of a separated testing department. In some companies the project leaders try to avoid a direct contact between the programmers and the testers, because this reduces the psychological barrier, and it forces the developers to make better documentations . Otherwise misunderstandings are inevitable and will cause additional work for the developers.

--Quoted Passage