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Behavior analyst vs psychologist

The differences between behavior analysts and psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychologist has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $73,616 average annual salary of a behavior analyst.

The top three skills for a behavior analyst include autism, applied behavior analysis and BCBA. The most important skills for a psychologist are patients, crisis intervention, and rehabilitation.

Behavior analyst vs psychologist overview

Behavior AnalystPsychologist
Yearly salary$73,616$97,803
Hourly rate$35.39$47.02
Growth rate14%6%
Number of jobs67,01312,516
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age3947
Years of experience6-

What does a behavior analyst do?

A behavior analyst is responsible for supporting patients and students with mental and social difficulties, developing treatment plans to address their learning and/or social disabilities. Behavior analysts monitor the students' progress by evaluating their learning and providing them with comprehensive materials and resources according to a targeted curriculum. They also adjust therapy programs as needed, coordinating with other health professionals, students' families, and teachers to provide the best techniques to support their development.

What does a psychologist do?

Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.

Behavior analyst vs psychologist salary

Behavior analysts and psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Behavior AnalystPsychologist
Average salary$73,616$97,803
Salary rangeBetween $51,000 And $105,000Between $68,000 And $139,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companyEmpower USierra Corporation
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between behavior analyst and psychologist education

There are a few differences between a behavior analyst and a psychologist in terms of educational background:

Behavior AnalystPsychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Behavior analyst vs psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between behavior analysts' and psychologists' demographics:

Behavior AnalystPsychologist
Average age3947
Gender ratioMale, 28.9% Female, 71.1%Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage12%20%

Differences between behavior analyst and psychologist duties and responsibilities

Behavior analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage and target behaviors using the ESDM, ABA, PRT and SCERTS model.
  • Conduct apply behavior analysis with children diagnose with autism spectrum disorders; collect and analyze data relate to behavioral trials.
  • Obtain RBT, CPR, CPI certification.
  • Go to different cases with kids that have autism and work to alter behavior.
  • Coordinate the changes with fire protection and hazardous materials supervisors at various DoD installations.
  • Focus primarily on functional communication and language, appropriate play skills, social skills, self-help skills, and parent training.
  • Show more

Psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Supervise mental health staff, including the overseeing of the provision of mental health services in a correctional facility.
  • Provide EMDR therapy for clients with trauma and anxiety.
  • Perform tests to diagnose autism in children or tests for the detection of autism at an early age.
  • Provide supervision and mentoring for APA Pre-Doctoral interns.
  • Supervise clinical activities of doctoral level psychology interns in APA accredit internship program.
  • Evaluate veterans for psychological disorders that may have resulted secondary to their military service for compensation purposes.
  • Show more

Behavior analyst vs psychologist skills

Common behavior analyst skills
  • Autism, 19%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 16%
  • BCBA, 12%
  • ABA, 11%
  • Behavior Analysis, 10%
  • Developmental Disabilities, 3%
Common psychologist skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • Mental Illness, 5%
  • Clinical Supervision, 5%
  • APA, 4%

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