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The differences between psychology research assistants and 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 research assistant. Additionally, a psychology research assistant has an average salary of $54,582, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a research assistant.
The top three skills for a psychology research assistant include data collection, SPSS and research projects. The most important skills for a research assistant are patients, lab equipment, and data collection.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $54,582 | $42,896 |
| Hourly rate | $26.24 | $20.62 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 48,891 | 51,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| 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.
Research assistants give support to researchers or other professionals who need assistance as they conduct experiments, studies, or other research projects. Research assistants help in conducting experiments, surveys, or interviews under the supervision of the primary researcher. They also work on research activities such as literature reviews, collect data, assist in interpreting results, prepare designs or visuals for the presentation of the results, and even ensure that all the tools and documentation related to the study are properly organized. They also assist in fact-checking the output and ensure that the data presented are accurate. Research assistants usually possess an academic background that is related to the main research topic.
Psychology research assistants and research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $54,582 | $42,896 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $86,000 | Between $28,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Piscataway, NJ | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | MassBay Community College | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a psychology research assistant and a research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between psychology research assistants' and research assistants' demographics:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.2% Female, 72.8% | Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |