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The differences between psychology research assistants and student 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 student research assistant. Additionally, a psychology research assistant has an average salary of $54,582, which is higher than the $27,475 average annual salary of a student research assistant.
The top three skills for a psychology research assistant include data collection, SPSS and research projects. The most important skills for a student research assistant are lab equipment, student research, and data collection.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $54,582 | $27,475 |
| Hourly rate | $26.24 | $13.21 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 48,891 | 59,758 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 student research assistant is responsible for supporting the school's research department on conducting various research tasks using the techniques and resources provided by the supervising faculty. Student research assistants collect and verify research data, interpret and document findings using research methodologies, organize and prepare research materials, write research reports, and provide recommendations to improve research strategies and techniques. A student research assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to multitask and be a fast-learner to interpret data within a specific time.
Psychology research assistants and student research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $54,582 | $27,475 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $86,000 | Between $19,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Piscataway, NJ | Fairbanks, AK |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | MassBay Community College | |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a psychology research assistant and a student research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Biology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between psychology research assistants' and student research assistants' demographics:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.2% Female, 72.8% | Male, 44.1% Female, 55.9% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 16.7% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |