The intersection of psychology and computers is vital to advancing and design of technology with a focus on the user. 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.

Traditionally, research in psychology relies on two fundamental methods of data collection: lab tests and surveys or interviews [1]. The former study a particular aspect in a small, controlled setting, while the latter examine broader behavior using self-report questionnaires or (potentially structured) interviews. Both have inherent weaknesses.

Computers can, however, store and analyze large amounts of information at a fast speed – and in ways that traditional methods aren’t able to. This is why they are powerful tools for psychologists, opening up an entirely new field of study. 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 who have domain expertise, and computer scientists with the ability to create large-scale tracking systems as well as manage and model the data how to monitor your kids computer use that results from it.

But until the last few years, there was no cooperation between the two fields. Google directors, for example are more likely to have studied computational and computer science (29 percent) than psychology (less than 2percent). This has likely resulted in psychologists being under-represented in leadership at tech companies. This has meant that technology products are often unable to take psychological considerations into account.