The intersection of computers and psychology is a crucial point for innovation and user-centered design in technology. But it’s also where many accidental harms to people how to monitor your kids computer use happen. That’s why we need psychologists to play a bigger role in tech development–particularly given that many technology companies change human behavior at scale and profit from behavioral changes, and generally embrace scientific innovation.

In the past data collection in psychology research was based on two basic methods: laboratory tests and surveys [1]. The former focuses on a specific aspect in a small controlled setting, while the latter focuses on broader behaviour using self-reporting questions or (potentially) structured interviews. Both have inherent limitations.

Computers, however, can record and analyze vast quantities of information at a fast speed, and in ways which traditional methods aren’t able to. This makes them powerful tools for psychologists and psychologists, opening up a new field of investigation. For example, a new field called Psycho(neuro)informatics is emerging that merges psychology and computer science to develop models of human brains and intelligence. This requires experts in the field: psychologists with domain expertise, and computer scientists who have the ability to create large-scale tracking systems, and to manage and model the resulting data.

There was not much collaboration in the past. Google directors, for instance, are more likely to have a degree in computer and computational sciences (29 percent) than psychology (less that 2percent). This has led to an absence of psychology in the leadership of tech companies, which has the result that a large number of tech products fail to take into account psychological principles.