Technology is a factor in the entirety of our lives today and that’s the case in the realm of psychology. Similar to how technology affects the way people behave or work and think psychologists also make use of technology to explore and understand mental illnesses, and to treat them. Technology also aids psychologists with their research, enabling them to gather and analyze data faster and more precisely than they would otherwise. From using computers to create fMRI images to the development of electronic symptom evaluation and tracking tools for patients with depression and anxiety technology is a major component of psychological treatment and research.

Technology also affects the interaction between humans and the digital systems they interact with on a daily basis. Many of the world’s well-known technology companies have huge departments staffed with psychologists who are experts in human cognition and perception as well as conducting research to study how people react to certain designs, and suggest changes in response. In get redirected here the majority of cases, when you use a piece technology, like your phone or Facebook you benefit from the collaboration of psychology and computer science.

At Notre Dame, Sidney D’Mello is one of the researchers working on the intersection between computers and psychology. His research focuses on “affective computing,” which is the study of how computers can recognize, and interpret, emotions. His team, for example has developed mathematical models that aid computers in predicting when a person is about to become angry or frustrated, so that it can decide on the appropriate course of action before the event takes place.