Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between psychology research assistants and professional research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a psychology research assistant and a professional research assistant. Additionally, a professional research assistant has an average salary of $58,202, which is higher than the $54,582 average annual salary of a psychology research assistant.
The top three skills for a psychology research assistant include data collection, SPSS and research projects. The most important skills for a professional research assistant are research projects, data collection, and patients.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Professional Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $54,582 | $58,202 |
| Hourly rate | $26.24 | $27.98 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 48,891 | 91,813 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Psychologists are responsible for studying cognitive and social processes through observation and therapy. They typically focus on understanding and articulating the emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and feelings of their clients. Their typical day-to-day duties may include researching clients' behavior and brain functionality, identifying emotional and behavioral patterns of their clients, and diagnosing and treating emotional, mental, or behavioral disorders. Other duties include developing programs to address psychological issues and collaborating with other health care professionals or social workers in treating patients.
A professional research assistant works under the supervision of primary researchers leading research projects. Research assistants help the main researchers in different tasks supporting research activities. These tasks vary based on research conducted and their field. The assistants prepare the interview questions and provide a results summary. They respond to emails, participate in project meetings, and prepare progress reports. Skills necessary for this job include communication skills, critical thinking, attention to detail, scheduling, and planning.
Psychology research assistants and professional research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Professional Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $54,582 | $58,202 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $86,000 | Between $38,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | Piscataway, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | MassBay Community College | Siemens |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between a psychology research assistant and a professional research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Professional Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Biology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between psychology research assistants' and professional research assistants' demographics:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Professional Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.2% Female, 72.8% | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 11.5% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |