The connection between psychology and computers is a crucial point for innovative design and user-centered 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.
Traditionally, psychological research relies on two basic methods of collecting data that are lab research and surveys or interviews [1]. The former investigate one particular aspect in a small, controlled setting; the latter assess more general behavior with self-report questionnaires or (potentially structured) interviews. Both have their own limitations.
Computers can, however, capture and analyze huge amounts of information at a fast 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 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 intelligence. This requires experts from a team of psychologists with domain knowledge and computer scientists who have the expertise to construct large-scale tracking systems and manage and model the resulting data.
There was a lack of collaboration in the past. Google directors, for instance, are more likely to have completed studies in computational and computer science (29 percent) than psychology (less that two percent). This has led to the absence of psychology within the management of tech companies. This has led to the result that a large number of tech products do not take into account psychological principles.