The intersection of computers and psychology is an important juncture to creativity and user-centered design in technology. However, it’s also the place where many unwanted harms to individuals 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 is based on two basic methods of data collection such as lab experiments and surveys, or interviews [1]. The former examines a specific aspect in a small controlled setting, whereas the latter focuses on broader behavior by using self-reporting questionnaires or (potentially) structured interviews. Both have inherent limitations.
Computers can process and analyze large amounts of data at a high speed, and in ways that traditional methods are unable to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists, opening up an entirely 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 as well as manage and model the data that results from it.
There was no collaboration in the past. For instance, Google directors have been more inclined to study computer and how to delete apps on apple watch computational science (29 percent had studied it) in comparison to psychology (less than 2percent). This has likely resulted in psychologists not being a majority in leadership at tech companies–with a result that technology products fail to take psychological factors into consideration.