Research psychologist vs behavioral psychologist

The differences between research psychologists and behavioral psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a research psychologist and a behavioral psychologist. Additionally, a research psychologist has an average salary of $90,440, which is higher than the $79,767 average annual salary of a behavioral psychologist.

The top three skills for a research psychologist include research projects, research studies and technical reports. The most important skills for a behavioral psychologist are behavioral health, crisis intervention, and mental illness.

Research psychologist vs behavioral psychologist overview

	Research Psychologist	Behavioral Psychologist
Yearly salary	$90,440	$79,767
Hourly rate	$43.48	$38.35
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	58,163	15,955
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 47%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Research psychologist vs behavioral psychologist salary

Research psychologists and behavioral psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Psychologist	Behavioral Psychologist
Average salary	$90,440	$79,767
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $128,000	Between $54,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Parexel International	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between research psychologist and behavioral psychologist education

There are a few differences between a research psychologist and a behavioral psychologist in terms of educational background:

	Research Psychologist	Behavioral Psychologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Master's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	California State University - Long Beach

Research psychologist vs behavioral psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between research psychologists' and behavioral psychologists' demographics:

	Research Psychologist	Behavioral Psychologist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 50.7% Female, 49.3%	Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between research psychologist and behavioral psychologist duties and responsibilities

Research psychologist example responsibilities.

Manage investigator initiate and cooperative group correlative studies to identify biomarkers to ascertain tumor burden and clinical outcomes in lymphoma.
Maintain a leadership role in APA accredit internship and externship match program.
Facilitate therapy groups for children and adolescents.
Provide cognitive-behavioral supervision to 3rd and 4th year psychiatry residents.
Provide didactic presentations to psychiatry trainees, medical students and residents and faculty.
Identify relationships between plasma ion and radical chemistry and the chemical functionality of the deposited organic coatings.

Behavioral psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide psychological therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, deficit/hyperactive disorder, specific learning disorder and others mental diagnosis.
Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

Research psychologist vs behavioral psychologist skills

Common research psychologist skills

Research Projects, 14%
Research Studies, 9%
Technical Reports, 8%
Mental Health, 7%
Statistical Analyses, 7%
Human Subjects, 5%

Common behavioral psychologist skills

Behavioral Health, 37%
Crisis Intervention, 14%
Mental Illness, 14%
Psychological Services, 8%
Psychological Evaluations, 6%
Psychological Assessments, 5%

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Research Psychologist vs Behavioral Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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