The intersection of psychology with computers is essential for advancing and design of technology with a focus on the user. It’s also a place where many unintentional injuries to people happen. 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 rely on two primary methods of data collection: lab research and surveys or interviews [1]. The former investigate one particular aspect in a controlled, small environment; the latter evaluate the behavior of a larger group using self-report questionnaires or (potentially structured) interviews. Both have inherent limitations.
Computers are able to process and analyze massive amounts of information at a fast speed and in ways that traditional methods are not able to. This is why they are powerful tools for psychologists and psychologists, opening up a new field of research. For example, a new field called Psycho(neuro)informatics is emerging that merges psychology and computer science to develop models of human brains and www.rebootdata.net/dealing-with-stress-in-kids-and-teens intelligence. This requires a team of experts: psychologists with domain expertise, and computer scientists who have the knowledge to design large-scale tracking systems and manage and model the data that results from it.
There was little collaboration in the past. For instance, Google directors have been more likely to be interested in computer and computational science (29 percent of them had studied it) as opposed to psychology (less than two percent). This is likely to have led to psychologists not being represented in leadership in tech companies, resulting in that technology products tend not to take psychological principles into consideration.