The intersection of psychology and computers is a crucial point for innovation and user-centered design in technology. It’s also a place where many unintended 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.
In the past the collection of data in psychological research was based on two basic methods: laboratory tests and surveys [1]. The first study a specific aspect in a small, controlled environment; the latter evaluate broader behavior using self-report questionnaires or (potentially structured) interviews. Both have inherent limitations.
Computers are able to process and analyze massive amounts of data at a rapid speed, and in ways that traditional methods are not able to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists, opening up an entirely new field of study. For example, a www.rebootdata.net/dealing-with-stress-in-kids-and-teens new field called Psycho(neuro)informatics is emerging that merges psychology and computer science to develop models of human brains and intelligence. This requires a group comprised of psychologists with domain expertise and computer scientists with the skills required to create large-scale systems, manage and model data.
However, until recently, there was not much cooperation between the two fields. For instance, Google directors have been more likely to be interested in computer and computational science (29 percent have studied it), than psychology (less than 2percent). This has resulted in a lack of psychology in the leadership of tech companies, with the result that many tech products do not consider psychological aspects.