At first glance, it could seem that psychology and computers are two distinct fields. Computer scientists develop software and code algorithms to assist people with everyday tasks, while psychologists study the human behavior and mental health of people. But the truth is that these two fields overlap in a variety of ways. Some of the most exciting research in both fields is being conducted by combining psychology with computer science.
Computer science has made it much easier to conduct studies in psychology. For example FMRI scanners allow psychologists to determine which areas of the brain are active when a particular thought or action is performed. Online questionnaires can eliminate the biases inherent in pen-and-paper surveys.
The collaboration between computer scientists and psychologists has revolutionized 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 events in the merging.
It pushed studies of how humans use computers firmly into the realm of computer science. It separated psychological methods from their human context and forcing psychologists to catch up. Psychometricians and other branches of psychology that focus on numerical evaluations found the computer science approach to be particularly useful.
Now, psychologists are 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 able to determine the risk of depression from the activities of a person’s social networks. Psychologists are incorporating cognitive behavior therapy into virtual reality to treat anxiety disorders www.rebootdata.net/virtual-data-room-information-that-fulfill-your-business-needs/ as well as other disorders.