The connection between psychology and computers is vital to advancing and design of technology that is centered around the user. It’s also where a lot of unintentional injuries to people occur. That’s why we need psychologists to play a bigger role in tech development–particularly given that many technology companies change human behavior at scale and profit from behavioral changes, and generally embrace scientific innovation.
Traditionally, psychological research relies on two main methods of data collection: lab experiments and surveys or interviews [1]. The former is a way to study a particular aspect in a www.rebootdata.net/generated-post small controlled setting, whereas the latter focuses on broader behavior by using self-reporting questionnaires or (potentially) structured interviews. Both have their own limitations.
Computers, however, can record and analyze vast quantities of information at a high speed – and in ways that traditional methods aren’t able to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists and opens up a completely new field of investigation. For example, a new field called Psycho(neuro)informatics is emerging that merges psychology and computer science to develop models of human brains and intelligence. This requires experts from a team of psychologists with domain knowledge, and computer scientists who have the expertise to construct large-scale tracking systems and to manage and analyze the data that results from it.
There was not much collaboration in the past. Google directors, for example are more likely to have completed studies in computational and computer science (29%) than psychology (less than 2%). This has likely led to psychologists not being a majority in leadership at tech companies. This has meant that technology products fail to take psychological factors into account.