Psychology and Computers

When you first consider it, computers and psychology could appear as two totally distinct areas. Computer scientists create software and code algorithms that aid people with everyday tasks psychology studies the psychology of humans and their mental well-being. In the real world, these two disciplines are inextricably linked on many levels. In fact some of the most exciting research currently being conducted in both fields involves the fusion of computer science and psychology.

In the field of psychological research technological advances in computer science have made it easier to conduct psychological experiments. For instance FMRI scanners allow psychologists to identify which parts of the brain are stimulated during specific thoughts or actions. Online surveys also eliminate the biases inherent in pencil and paper surveys.

The collaboration between psychologists and computer scientists has changed the way we interact with technology. One of the most significant events in this fusion occurred in 1983 with the release of The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction by three researchers at the Palo Alto Research Center of Xerox: Stuart useful link Card, Thomas Moran, and Allen Newell.

It also pushed research on how humans use computers firmly into the domain of computer science, dissociating psychological methods from their human context and making psychologists catch up. Psychology branches that already dealt with numerical evaluations like psychometricians found the computer science method particularly amenable to their work.

Today, psychologists and computer scientists are collaborating to create AI which can better comprehend human behavior. Psychologists are helping to develop ethical guidelines for algorithms that predict the risk of depression based upon a person’s social media activity. And psychologists are using cognitive behavioral therapy to create virtual reality, which can be used to treat anxiety and other disorders.