In recent years, there have been significant advances in the availability of computational power, of "big-data" resources, and of data analysis techniques (e.g., Machine Learning). These recent advances in "data science" are becoming more and more useful in both the industry and academia.
What is psychological data science?
By applying the data scientist's toolbox, psychologists can now address novel questions and gain new insights into humans' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. For example, machine learning algorithms can help identify previously unseen patterns in complex data, and better predict human behavior. The use of "big-data" can help researchers examine human behavior in more ecological settings, and discover more reliable findings.
What is the psychological data science track?
The Psychological Data Science track at Ben-Gurion University is a track intended for students who wish to implement advanced data science methods in their M.A. research. Acquiring these skills during the M.A. could advance students' research and help them down the road - in both the academia and the industry.
Curriculum Students apply to this track via the Social Psychology or Experimental Psychology: Brain and Cognition programs, based on their primary interests. The specific curriculum of each student will be tailored to their research interests. Mandatory courses will be determined according to respective program the students applied to ("social psychology" or "experimental psychology: brain and cognition"), and will include additional courses in data science.
Thesis The students are encouraged to perform their thesis research under the joint supervision of experts in psychology (a faculty member from the Psychology Department) and experts in data science (e.g., a faculty member from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management ).