Psychology and Computers

When you first begin thinking about it, psychology and computers may appear to be two completely separate domains. Computer scientists develop software and code algorithms to aid people in their daily lives while psychologists study the psychology of humans and their mental well-being. However, the reality is that these two disciplines have a lot in common. Some of the most interesting research in both fields is currently being conducted by how to monitor your kids computer use combining psychology and computer science.

Computer science has made it simpler to conduct experiments in psychology. For instance fMRI scans can help psychologists to see which areas of the brain activate during certain actions or thoughts. Online questionnaires also eliminate biases inherent in pencil and paper surveys.

The collaboration between psychologists and computer scientists has revolutionized the way we interact with technology. The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction was published in 1983 by three scientists from Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Stuart Card, Thomas Moran and Allen Newell, was one of the most significant moments in the fusion.

It moved studies of how computers are used by people into the domain of computer science. This removed psychological methods from their context in humans and made it necessary for psychologists to catch up. Psychology departments that dealt with evaluations using numbers, such as psychometricians, discovered the computer science approach especially suited to their research.

Now, psychologists and computer scientists are collaborating to create AI that will better comprehend human behavior. For instance psychologists are helping to shape the ethical guidelines for the development of algorithms that could help predict a person’s depression risk by studying their social media activity. Psychologists are incorporating cognitive behavior therapy into virtual reality to treat anxiety disorders as well as other conditions.