PSYCH 5620: Technology, Efficiency, and Happiness
This course will examine various ways of evaluating behavioral aspects of new technologies (e.g., social media, artificial intelligence chatbots, mobile communication devices, transportation innovations). Many new products seem like they might improve our lives through increased efficiency, convenience, or power in performing specific tasks. However, it is difficult to predict whether new technology will make us happier or kinder, enhance social interactions, increase creativity, or generally improve our quality of life.
Technology often has hidden costs and benefits such as unexpected effects on cultural manners, new forms of distributed cognition and social cooperation, increased multi-tasking, destabilizing environmental impacts, greater expectations for speeded performance, and displacement of some occupations. This course will consider many behavioral dimensions of technology that may impact decisions about designing, deploying, and incorporating new devices into our lives.
Prereq: 1100, or Grad standing.
Technology often has hidden costs and benefits such as unexpected effects on cultural manners, new forms of distributed cognition and social cooperation, increased multi-tasking, destabilizing environmental impacts, greater expectations for speeded performance, and displacement of some occupations. This course will consider many behavioral dimensions of technology that may impact decisions about designing, deploying, and incorporating new devices into our lives.
Prereq: 1100, or Grad standing.
Credit Hours
3
Sample Topics:
- Efficiency, Complexity & Multi-Tasking
- Happiness & Pleasure
- Creativity
- Environmental Impact
- Social Impact
- Sports: Technology & Culture
- Adaptation & Design Implications
- Cell Phones: Multiple Dimensions of Technology
Meets the following Psychology Major Goals:
Knowledge Base in Psychology
- Describe key concepts, principles, & overarching themes in psychology
- Develop working knowledge of psychology's content domains
- Describe applications of psychology
Scientific Inquiry & Critical Thinking
- Use scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena
- Demonstrate psychology information literacy
- Engage in innovative & integrative thinking & problem solving
- Interpret, design, & conduct basic psychological research
Ethical & Social Responsibility in a Diverse World
- Adopt values that build community at local, national, & global levels
Communication
- Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes
- Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes
Professional Development
- Apply psychological content & skills to career goals