The interaction between computers and psychology is a critical juncture for innovative design and user-centered technology. However, it’s also where a lot of harmful effects to people are unintentionally caused. 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, research in psychology relies on two fundamental methods of data collection that are lab experiments and surveys, or interviews [1]. The first focuses on a particular aspect in a small controlled environment, while the latter evaluates general behaviors using self-reporting surveys or (potentially) structured interviews. Both have their own limitations.
Computers, however, can store and analyze large amounts of information at a high speed and in ways that traditional methods are not able to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists and opens up a completely new field of investigation. 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 an expert team: psychologists with domain knowledge, and computer scientists who have the ability to create large-scale tracking systems and to manage and model the resulting data.
There was little collaboration in the past. For instance, Google directors have been more likely to be interested in computer and computational science (29 percent have had studied it) and psychology (less than two percent). This has led to a lack of psychology in the leadership of tech companies, with the result that a large number of tech products fail to incorporate psychological principles.
