The connection between psychology and computers is an important juncture to innovative design and user-centered technology. It’s also a place where many unintended 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.
In the past the collection of data in psychological research was based on two basic methods: lab tests and surveys [1]. The former study a particular aspect in a controlled, small environment; the latter evaluate more general behavior with self-report questionnaires or (potentially structured) interviews. Both have their own limitations.
Computers, however capture and analyze huge amounts of data at a high speed in ways that conventional methods are unable to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists and psychologists, opening up a new area of study. 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 in the field: psychologists with domain knowledge, and computer scientists who have the skills to build large-scale tracking systems and to manage and model the data that results from it.
There was a lack of collaboration in the past. For instance, Google directors have been more likely to be interested in computer and computational science (29 percent of them did so) and psychology (less than 2%). This has led to an absence of psychology in the leadership www.rebootdata.net/destructive-online-activity-and-computer-games/ of tech companies, and has had the result that many tech products fail to consider psychological aspects.