Big Data in the Psychological Sciences

Cutting-edge computational tools like artificial intelligence, data scraping, and online experiments are leading to new discoveries about the human mind. However, these new methods can be intimidating. This textbook demonstrates how Big Data is transforming the field of psychology, in an approachable and engaging way that is geared toward undergraduate students without any computational training. Each chapter covers a hot topic, such as social networks, smart devices, mobile apps, and computational linguistics. Students are introduced to the types of Big Data one can collect, the methods for analyzing such data, and the psychological theories we can address. Each chapter also includes discussion of real-world applications and ethical issues. Supplementary resources include an instructor manual with assignment questions and sample answers, figures and tables, and varied resources for students such as interactive class exercises, experiment demos, articles, and tools.

• Showcases the exciting potential of computational methods without requiring programming skills
• Ethics and Applications sections to elucidate understanding of the broader applications and implications in the real world
• Includes discussion questions in every chapter to engage students and reorient them to the topic at hand
• Links psychological theory to methods to concrete examples of various types of experiments, helping students put knowledge into practice