When you first consider it, psychology and computers might appear to be two completely distinct areas. Psychologists study human behavior and mental health, while computer scientists develop algorithms and designing software that can help people accomplish everyday tasks. However, the reality is that these two disciplines are in many ways similar. Some of the most exciting research in both fields is being carried out by combining psychology with computer science.
In terms of psychological research technological advances in computer science have helped make it easier to conduct psychological research. For instance FMRI scanners allow psychologists to discover which regions of the brain are stimulated when a particular thought or action is performed. Online questionnaires remove the biases inherent in paper-and-pencil surveys.
But it’s the interaction between psychologists and computer scientists that has really transformed the way we interact with technology. One of the most significant events in this fusion was in 1983 with the release of The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction by three researchers from the Palo Alto Research Centre of Xerox–Stuart Card, Thomas Moran, and Allen Newell.
It also brought research on how computer users use them into the realm of computer science. This separated psychological methods from their human context and forced psychologists to catch up. Branches of psychology already dealing with evaluations by number, such as psychometricians, found the computer science approach particularly suitable to their work.
Psychologists are now working with computer scientists to create AI which can better understand human behavior. Psychologists are helping to develop ethical guidelines for algorithms that determine the risk of depression from the activities of a person’s social networks. Psychologists are using cognitive behavior therapy in virtual reality to treat anxiety disorders as well as www.rebootdata.net/how-to-delete-apps-on-apple-watch other conditions.