Psychology
Research psychology
Listed by colleges as Research and Experimental Psychology
Colleges award this field under 11 named programs, from Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics to Research and Experimental Psychology, Other.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 11 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics
- Focuses on the scientific study of the mechanisms and processes of learning and thinking, and associated information encoding, decoding, processing and transmitting systems. Covers theories of cognition and intelligence; studies of cognitive processes such as memory, sensation, perception, pattern recognition, problem solving, and conceptual thinking; cybernetics; psycholinguistics; and the study of biological and social communications mechanisms and processes.
- Comparative Psychology
- Focuses on the behavior of members of particular species or groups and the relationship of the behaviors of the species or group to their evolutionary origins. Covers differential psychology, experimental and physiological psychology, psychopharmacology, psychology of individual differences, reinforcement theory, and neurophysiology.
- Developmental and Child Psychology
- Focuses on the scientific study of the unique stages of psychological growth and development of individuals from infancy through childhood. Covers cognitive and perceptual development, emotional development, personality development, the effects of biological maturation on behavior, theories of cognitive growth and related research methods, testing and assessment methods for different age levels, research on child and adolescent behavior therapy, and the psychology of aging.
- Experimental Psychology
- Focuses on the scientific study of behavior under experimental conditions and the analysis of controlled behavioral responses. Covers learning theory, research design and experimental methods, psychological measurement, statistical design and methods, analysis of cognitive and behavioral variables, and the conduct of specialized and large-scale studies.
- Personality Psychology
- Focuses on the unique organization of fairly permanent characteristics that set the individual apart from other individuals and, at the same time, determine how others respond to that individual. Covers Freudian, Skinnerian, Rogerian, and Ellisonian psychology; neo-Freudian psychology; psychological systems, neurophysiology, and psychopharmacology.
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Focuses on the scientific study of the biological bases of behavior and psychological functioning, and their application to experimental and therapeutic research problems. Covers functional neuroanatomy, neural system development, biochemical neural regulatory mechanisms, neurological biophysics, memory storage and retrieval, physiology of cognition and perception, physiological bases of psychopathology and behavioral disorders, psychopharmacology, comparative psychobiology, molecular and cellular neuroscience, brain science, anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system, and specialized experimental design and research methods.
- Social Psychology
- Focuses on the scientific study of individual behavior in group contexts, group behavior, and associated phenomena. Covers social learning theory, group theory and dynamics, sex roles, social cognition and inference, attribution theory, attitude formation, criminal behavior and other social pathologies, altruistic behavior, social development, and social ecology.
- Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology
- Focuses on the mathematical and statistical procedures used in psychological test construction and validation; the general problems of the measurement of behavior; and the application of quantitative methods to research design and other methodological topics.
- Psychopharmacology
- Focuses on the study of the behavioral effects of medications, drugs, nutrients, and chemicals (including natural and artificial toxins) in laboratory and clinical settings. Covers pharmacology, behavioral toxicology and pharmacology, neuroscience, physiology, clinical psychopharmacology, substance abuse treatments and antidotes, neurochemical mechanisms, epidemiology of chemicals and substances, biochemical interactions, and psychoactive drugs.
- Developmental and Adolescent Psychology
- Focuses on the scientific study of the unique stages of psychological growth and development of individuals from adolescence to adulthood. Covers cognitive and perceptual development, emotional development, personality development, the effects of biological maturation on behavior, theories of cognitive growth and related research methods, testing and assessment methods for different age levels, research on child and adolescent behavior therapy, and the psychology of aging.
Also called Child Psychology, Lifespan Development
Also called Physiological Psychology, Psychobiology
Also called Adolescent Development
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
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- $141,900
- Hiring change through 2035
- 4.9%
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- 100,900
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- $59,550
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Explore this career Growing with the economyPsychology Teachers, Postsecondary
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- $80,340
- Hiring change through 2035
- 4.0%
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Explore this career Growing with the economyPsychologists, All Other
- Median pay
- $110,840
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.3%
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To get hiredMaster's degree
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- $107,310
- Hiring change through 2035
- 17.9%
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To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career Growing fastMedical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
- Median pay
- $103,410
- Hiring change through 2035
- 12.6%
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- 10,500
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career GrowingSocial Science Research Assistants
- Median pay
- $61,990
- Hiring change through 2035
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- $98,920
- Hiring change through 2035
- 4.7%
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Explore this career Growing fastClinical and Counseling Psychologists
- Median pay
- $100,580
- Hiring change through 2035
- 11.7%
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- 4,100
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career Growing fastStatisticians
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- $105,650
- Hiring change through 2035
- 11.0%
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Explore this career GrowingLife Scientists, All Other
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- Hiring change through 2035
- 6.3%
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- 400
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $30,336 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
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College options
Where to study it
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