The intersection of psychology with computers is critical for innovation and design of technology that is centered around the user. However, it’s also where the majority 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.
In the past the collection of data in psychological research was based on two fundamental methods: lab research and surveys. The first study a specific aspect in a controlled, small environment; the latter evaluate the behavior of a larger group using self-report questionnaires or (potentially structured) interviews. Both have inherent limitations.
Computers, however, can capture and analyze huge amounts of data at a high speed and in ways that traditional methods aren’t able to. This creates powerful new tools for psychologists, opening up a whole 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 an expert team: psychologists with domain knowledge and computer scientists who have the knowledge to design large-scale tracking systems as well as manage and analyze the resulting data.
There was no collaboration in the past. Google directors, for instance are more likely to have studied computational and computer sciences (29 percent) than psychology (less that two percent). This has led to the absence of psychology within the management of tech companies, and has had the result that many technology products do not take into account psychological principles.