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What does a psychology research assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

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.

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Psychology research assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real psychology research assistant resumes:

  • 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.
  • Prepare subjects for testing using electroencephalography (EEG) and event-relate potentials (ERPs).
  • Proofread and edit philosophy/sociology book for publication.
  • Perform functions requiring IRB certification, recruit participants for study.
  • Conduct statistical analyses using SPSS and complete a written report interpreting results.
  • Gain extensive experience in computer-base sequence analysis and generation of DNA sequence data.
  • Collected/Process DNA specimens; gain hands-on laboratory experience in DNA testing and separation.
  • Prepare the material necessary to conduct psychological experiments in accordance with IRB rules and regulations.
  • Guide the technical implementation of an automate analysis system (electrophoresis station), with the enhancement of its operational efficiency.
  • Assist in preparation of grant proposals to the NIH.

Psychology research assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 11% of Psychology Research Assistants are proficient in Data Collection, SPSS, and Research Projects. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Psychology Research Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Data Collection, 11%

    Contributed to research, including literature search using library databases, management of data collection, and recorded data and analysis.

  • SPSS, 9%

    Conducted psychological research on the correlation between humility and romantic relationships before and after having children using survey methods and SPSS.

  • Research Projects, 7%

    Develop research projects on Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Sensitivity- Code data for nonverbal behavior- Lead psychology scholarly research article discussions

  • Data Analysis, 6%

    Performed empirical data analysis, screened and directed participants to appropriate experimenters.

  • Psychology Lab, 5%

    Conducted psychological research in the Tufts University Psychology Lab on projects studying social interactions and behaviors.

  • Literature Reviews, 5%

    Compiled a literature review on facial emotion recognition in people with schizophrenia.

Common skills that a psychology research assistant uses to do their job include "data collection," "spss," and "research projects." You can find details on the most important psychology research assistant responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a psychology research assistant to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "market research analysts must evaluate large amounts of data and information related to market conditions." Additionally, a psychology research assistant resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "aided in writing irb proposal, writing academic paper, and collecting data. "

Communication skills. Many psychology research assistant duties rely on communication skills. "market research analysts must be able to clearly convey information when gathering material, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients.," so a psychology research assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways psychology research assistant responsibilities rely on communication skills: "resolved issues that arise in research design and implementation through consistent communication and collaboration with supervisor. "

Detail oriented. psychology research assistants are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to psychology research assistant responsibilities, because "market research analysts must pay attention to minutiae to evaluate data." A psychology research assistant resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "job detail includes the gathering of participants, preparing surveys, proctoring studies, numbering data, and reviewing research results. "

All psychology research assistant skills

The three companies that hire the most psychology research assistants are:

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Compare different psychology research assistants

Psychology research assistant vs. Research fellow

A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.

We looked at the average psychology research assistant salary and compared it with the wages of a research fellow. Generally speaking, research fellows are paid $759 lower than psychology research assistants per year.Even though psychology research assistants and research fellows are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require data collection, spss, and research projects in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, psychology research assistant responsibilities require skills like "psychology lab," "behavioral data," "research studies," and "human subjects." Meanwhile a typical research fellow has skills in areas such as "patients," "cell culture," "immunology," and "crispr." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Research fellows really shine in the non profits industry with an average salary of $57,261. Comparatively, psychology research assistants tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $59,698.On average, research fellows reach higher levels of education than psychology research assistants. Research fellows are 8.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 30.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Psychology research assistant vs. Research scholar

Research scholars are college students who perform on projects in a particular field for a university or organization. Generally, they work with professors and other professionals in the field of study and focus on discovering new information that can be produced in trade or academic journals. Also, they pursue intellectual and academic activities as well as may engaged in educating other researchers. They are usually paid a stipend for a set duration of time, and some may work outside the university.

A career as a research scholar brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a psychology research assistant. In fact, research scholars salary is $3,465 higher than the salary of psychology research assistants per year.A few skills overlap for psychology research assistants and research scholars. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "data collection," "spss," and "research projects. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, psychology research assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "psychology lab," "behavioral data," "research studies," and "human subjects." Meanwhile, a research scholar has duties that require skills in areas such as "c++," "original research," "pcr," and "molecular biology." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, research scholars earn a higher salary than psychology research assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, research scholars earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $71,344. Whereas psychology research assistants have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $59,698.In general, research scholars achieve higher levels of education than psychology research assistants. They're 14.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 30.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Psychology research assistant vs. Research internship

A research intern is responsible for assisting the research team with conducting an investigation, compiling information, and analyzing results for an organized research study. Research interns' duties also include understanding the work processes and operation procedures, sharing strategies and recommendations on research methods, reaching out to appropriate research correspondents, managing clients' inquiries and concerns, keeping important client records for reference, studying current market trends, and maintaining the eagerness to learn. A research intern must have strong attention to detail and excellent communication skills to perform on daily research tasks.

On average scale, research interns bring in lower salaries than psychology research assistants. In fact, they earn a $15,009 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on psychology research assistants and research interns resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "data collection," "spss," and "data analysis.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a psychology research assistant is likely to be skilled in "research projects," "psychology lab," "behavioral data," and "research studies," while a typical research internship is skilled in "python," "c++," "research intern," and "java."

Research interns make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $52,879. On the other hand, psychology research assistants are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $59,698.research interns typically earn similar educational levels compared to psychology research assistants. Specifically, they're 4.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Psychology research assistant vs. Research volunteer

Research volunteers average a higher salary than the annual salary of psychology research assistants. The difference is about $86 per year.According to resumes from psychology research assistants and research volunteers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "data collection," "spss," and "research projects. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between psychology research assistants and research volunteers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a psychology research assistant might have more use for skills like "psychology lab," "behavioral data," "research studies," and "human subjects." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of research volunteers require skills like "lab procedures," "cell culture," "laboratory techniques," and "rt-pcr. "

Research volunteers reach similar levels of education compared to psychology research assistants, in general. The difference is that they're 3.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of psychology research assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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