The intersection of psychology with computers is vital to advancing and design of technology that is centered around the user. However, it’s also where the majority of 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.
Traditionally, psychological research relies on two main methods of data collection which are laboratory experiments and surveys or interviews [1]. The former focuses on a specific aspect in a controlled setting, while the latter focuses on broader behaviour using self-reporting questions or (potentially) structured interviews. Both have inherent limitations.
Computers can record and analyze vast amounts of information at a rapid speed. They can also do this in ways traditional methods are unable to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists which www.rebootdata.net/destructive-online-activity-and-computer-games/ opens up a new field 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 a team of experts: psychologists who have domain expertise, and computer scientists with the expertise to construct large-scale tracking systems and to manage and analyze the resulting data.
However, until the last few years, there was no collaboration between the different fields. For instance, Google directors have been more inclined to study computer science and computational science (29 percent did so) in comparison to psychology (less than two percent). This has led to psychologists not being a majority in leadership at tech companies. This has meant that technology products are often unable to take psychological considerations into account.