Psychology-in-the-loop.

The organization of research effort into disciplines has been a powerful and effective response to fundamental human cognitive limitations, enabling the development of deep expertise and accelerating scientific progress.However, disciplinary silos also impose limits on the ability of any single field to address complex, real-world problems, particularly those arising from rapidly evolving technologies that affect individuals and society.In psychology, these tensions are especially salient: While the discipline offers unparalleled strengths in measurement, experimental design, and models of cognition, affect, and behavior, its traditional focus on retrospective evaluation often positions it too late in the technology lifecycle to meaningfully shape outcomes.This article introduces psychology-in-the-loop as a guiding stance for addressing this challenge, arguing for earlier and more integrated engagement of psychological theory and method in the design, deployment, and evaluation of technical systems.It calls for rigorous interdisciplinary scholarship that engages technology on its own terms while remaining grounded in psychological science and invites researchers to help define how psychology can most effectively contribute to shaping technology with real-world consequence.