Psychology research assistant vs research volunteer

The differences between psychology research assistants and research volunteers 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 volunteer. Additionally, a research volunteer has an average salary of $54,668, 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 research volunteer are lab procedures, cell culture, and laboratory techniques.

Psychology research assistant vs research volunteer overview

	Psychology Research Assistant	Research Volunteer
Yearly salary	$54,582	$54,668
Hourly rate	$26.24	$26.28
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	48,891	50,334
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Psychology research assistant vs research volunteer salary

Psychology research assistants and research volunteers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychology Research Assistant	Research Volunteer
Average salary	$54,582	$54,668
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $86,000	Between $34,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	Piscataway, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	MassBay Community College	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between psychology research assistant and research volunteer education

There are a few differences between a psychology research assistant and a research volunteer in terms of educational background:

	Psychology Research Assistant	Research Volunteer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Psychology	Biology
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Psychology research assistant vs research volunteer demographics

Here are the differences between psychology research assistants' and research volunteers' demographics:

	Psychology Research Assistant	Research Volunteer
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 27.2% Female, 72.8%	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%
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%

Differences between psychology research assistant and research volunteer duties and responsibilities

Psychology research assistant example responsibilities.

Accomplish electroencephalogram (EEG), MRI, and behavioral testing on research participants.
Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Design computer-based surveys, perform data collection and analysis using SQL and STATA.
Conduct psychological research on the correlation between humility and romantic relationships before and after having children using survey methods and SPSS.
Train researchers in using SAS programs for processing and analyzing data.
Implement a web-crawler to track ideas spread across the Internet using search APIs.

Research volunteer example responsibilities.

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Assist in monitoring MRI scans.
Assist in cloning and expression for RNA research.
Analyze cell lysates and purify proteins by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis.
Design a PowerPoint presentation to teach senior adults about email accounts.
Assist with laboratory experiments, collect data and DNA samples, contribute to lab protocols.

Psychology research assistant vs research volunteer skills

Common psychology research assistant skills

Data Collection, 11%
SPSS, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Data Analysis, 6%
Psychology Lab, 5%
Literature Reviews, 5%

Common research volunteer skills

Lab Procedures, 11%
Cell Culture, 8%
Laboratory Techniques, 7%
Data Collection, 6%
R, 4%
RT-PCR, 4%

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Psychology Research Assistant
Psychology Research Assistant vs Research Volunteer

Updated January 8, 2025

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