At first, it may seem that psychology and computers are two different fields. Computer scientists develop software and code algorithms that aid people with everyday tasks while psychologists study human behavior and mental well-being. In fact, these two fields are inextricably linked on many levels. 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 helped make it easier to conduct psychological studies. For example FMRI scanners allow psychologists to see what areas of the brain are activated during specific actions or thoughts. Online questionnaires also eliminate biases that are inherent in pencil and paper surveys.
The collaboration between psychologists and computer scientists has revolutionized the way we interact with technology. One of the most significant moments of this fusion took place in 1983 when the publication of The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction by three scientists at the Palo Alto Research Centre of Xerox–Stuart Card, Thomas Moran, and Allen Newell.
It brought studies of how computers are used by people into the domain of computer science. This removed psychological methods from their context in humans and forced psychologists to catch up. Psychology branches that already dealt with evaluations based on numbers, such as psychometricians, discovered the computer science approach particularly suitable to their work.
Psychologists and computer scientists are collaborating to create AI which can better understand human behavior. For instance psychologists are helping develop the ethical guidelines www.rebootdata.net/destructive-online-activity-and-computer-games/ for the development of algorithms that could predict the risk of depression for a person by studying their social media use. Psychologists are incorporating cognitive behavior therapy into virtual reality to treat anxiety disorders as well as other diseases.