Yeah I guess I'd generalize it as programming having two kinds of learning. First is memorization of syntax and semantics of the language. Second is a kind of shadow learning, or "street smarts" for survival in the language; which parts of town to avoid and which paths avoid dark alleys, etc. These habits are hard to quantify, and beginner programmers especially tend to apply the "street smarts" from their first language to every future language, which creates problems.