When you first think of it, psychology and computers might seem like two completely distinct fields. Psychologists examine human behavior and mental health and computer scientists code algorithms and designing software that allows people to do their daily tasks. However, the reality is that these two fields have a lot in common. Some of the most exciting research in both fields is being carried out by combining psychology and computer science.
In terms of research in psychology technological advancements in computer science have made it easier to conduct psychological research. For example FMRI scans enable psychologists to identify which areas of the brain activate during certain kinds of actions or thoughts. Online questionnaires also remove the biases that are present in paper and pencil surveys.
But it’s the interaction between computer scientists and psychologists that has truly changed the way we interact with technology. The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction which was published in 1983 by three researchers 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 the way computer users use them into the domain of computer science. This removed psychological methods from their human context and made it necessary for psychologists to catch up. Psychology branches that already dealt with evaluations based on numbers like psychometricians found the computer science approach particularly amenable to their work.
Now, psychologists and computer scientists are collaborating to create AI that will www.rebootdata.net/generated-post help us better understand human behavior. Psychologists are helping to develop ethical guidelines for algorithms able to predict the risk of depression based upon the activities of a person’s social networks. Psychologists are also incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy into virtual reality, which can be used to treat anxiety and other disorders.