When you first begin thinking about it, computers and psychology might seem like two completely distinct fields. Computer scientists develop software and code algorithms to assist people with their daily tasks and psychologists study the psychology of humans and their mental well-being. However, the reality is that these two disciplines overlap in a variety of ways. In fact, some of the most exciting research being done in both fields is involving mixing computer science and psychology.
Computer science has made it simpler to conduct psychological research. For instance FMRI scans enable psychologists to identify which areas of the brain are activated during certain types of thoughts or actions. Online questionnaires remove the biases inherent in paper-and-pencil surveys.
However, it’s the cooperation between psychologists and computer scientists that has changed the ways we interact with technology. The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction, published in 1983 by three researchers from Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Stuart Card, Thomas Moran and Allen Newell, was one of the most important moments in the merging.
It moved research into how humans use computers firmly into the domain of computer science, dissociating psychological methods from their human context, and causing psychologists to catch up. Psychological branches that were already dealing with evaluations using numbers, such as psychometricians, found the computer science method particularly suitable to their work.
Psychologists are currently working with computer scientists in the development of AI that will help us better understand human behavior. Psychologists are helping to develop ethical guidelines for algorithms that predict depression risk based on the activity of a person’s social media. Psychologists are applying cognitive behavior therapy to virtual reality to treat anxiety disorders as well as other disorders.