The intersection of computers and psychology is an important juncture to innovation and user-centered design in technology. But it’s also where many unintended harms to people occur. 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 psychological research was based on two main methods: laboratory studies and surveys [1]. The former focuses on a specific aspect in a controlled setting, while the latter evaluates general behavior by using self-reporting questionnaires or (potentially) structured interviews. Both have their own limitations.

Computers, however capture and analyze huge quantities of information at high speed. They can also do this in ways traditional methods cannot. This creates powerful new tools for psychological researchers, opening up a whole new realm 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 with the knowledge to design large-scale tracking systems, and to manage and model the data that results from it.

But until recently, there was little collaboration between the different fields. Google directors, for instance, are more likely to have studied computational and computer sciences (29 percent) than psychology and computers psychology (less that two percent). This has likely led to psychologists being under-represented in leadership in tech companies, resulting in that technology products are often unable to take psychological factors into account.