The intersection of psychology and computers is crucial to innovation and design of technology that is user-centric. However, it’s also where the majority of accidental harms to people happen. 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 main methods of data collection: lab research and surveys or interviews [1]. The former focus on a particular aspect in a small, controlled setting; the latter assess 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 information at a high speed – and in ways that traditional methods aren’t able to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists and opens up a completely 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 who have domain expertise, and computer scientists who have the expertise to construct large-scale tracking systems, and to manage and model the data that results from it.
There was not much collaboration in the past. For instance, Google directors have been more likely to be interested in computer and computational science (29 percent have did so) and psychology (less than 2percent). This has led to psychologists not being represented in leadership in tech companies, resulting in that technology products tend not to take psychological factors into consideration.