The intersection of computers and psychology is an important juncture to the development of user-centered designs and innovation in technology. But it’s also where many unintended harms 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 fundamental methods: laboratory experiments and surveys [1]. The former investigate one particular aspect in a controlled, small setting, while the latter examine larger behavior with self-report surveys or (potentially structured) interviews. Both have their own limitations.
Computers, however, can record and analyze vast quantities of information at a fast speed – and in ways that traditional methods are unable to. This creates powerful new tools for psychologists which opens up a new area of research. For example, a new field called Psycho(neuro)informatics is emerging that merges psychology and computer science her comment is here to develop models of human brains and intelligence. This requires a team composed of psychologists with domain expertise and computer scientists with the skills necessary to build large-scale systems, manage and analyze data.
There was not much collaboration in the past. Google directors, for example are more likely to have a degree in computational and computer science (29%) than psychology (less than 2%). This has led to an absence of psychology in the leadership of tech companies, which has the result that many technology products do not consider psychological factors.