◆ Psychology

What a research psychologist
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
790in the US (2025)
$193,950median pay / year
9systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Assess employee performance
Assess team members' performance across the last six months using appr…3 sources agree

The shape of the day

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The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work12
Identify training and development needs.+
Review recent survey responses, appraisal gaps, and incident logs to identify four priority training needs, specify the target groups, expected behavioural change, and a recommended delivery format for each need.
jdonetwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Advise management on personnel and policies+
Draft advice to HR and the operations director summarising recurring personnel problems, the likely underlying behavioural drivers, three policy changes to reduce risk, and the projected impact on turnover and wellbeing.
jdonetwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Analyze data to evaluate workplace programs+
Analyze program evaluation data to test whether the wellbeing intervention changed stress scores, run appropriate tests, produce a one-page results brief with effect sizes and recommendations, and attach the cleaned dataset.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Aid with therapy+
Draft a short, evidence-based intake summary for Maya Thompson detailing her presenting problems, diagnosis considerations, risk factors, and a clear three-session intervention plan focused on behavioural activation and safety planning; flag medication questions for the psychiatrist.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Perform administrative functions+
Prepare a one-page administrative report for the clinic manager listing this month's patient caseload, no-shows, follow-up actions required, consent form status for each file, and three recommended workflow fixes to reduce paperwork burden.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Advise on best practices for employee selection+
Draft a short guidance memo for HR and the recruitment team that recommends evidence-based selection practices—structured interviews, work sample tests, validated cognitive measures—and explain how to implement them within the next two hiring cycles with cost and legal risk notes.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Analyze job content for classification and training+
Produce a job analysis report for the operations associate role that identifies core tasks, KSAOs, clusters for classification, and training implications, with recommended assessment items and a suggested competency map for the training team.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Formulate and implement training programs+
Create a training program plan to be delivered over six weeks for new customer service hires that links competencies to learning objectives, includes behavioral rehearsal, fidelity checks, evaluation metrics, and a rollout timeline for the L&D manager.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grow the practice4
Watch and assess2
Work with people1
Keep it safe1

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
14 tasksMicrosoft Wordcompose a persuasive memo with evidence, recommendations, and projected impacts for leadershipOpen its task library → 6 tasksMicrosoft Excelaggregate ratings, compute scores and highlight outliers for appraisal summariesOpen its task library →
4 tasksIBM SPSS Statisticsperform the statistical tests, calculate effect sizes, and produce tables for the results brief
3 tasksGoogle Sheetscollate survey and appraisal data, filter by group, and rank training priorities
2 tasksMicrosoft Outlookschedule sessions and send the follow-up note to the employee maintaining confidentiality
2 tasksMicrosoft Visiocreate the competency map and task classification diagrams visually
1 taskMicrosoft Projectbuild the rollout timeline, milestones, and resource allocations for the six-week program
1 taskMicrosoft PowerPointprepare the learner-facing slide decks and facilitator notes
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a research psychologist actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $193,950 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $79,010; the top tenth near $247,220
  • 790 people employed in this occupation

India

the occupation GROUP, not this job · PLFS via ILOSTAT 2025
  • ₹26,152 a month — the median for Technicians and associate professionals, the group this work sits in
  • India publishes pay by broad occupation group, so this covers many jobs besides this one. It is a shape, not a salary.
read this carefullyThese two numbers are not comparable and must not be converted into each other. One is a yearly figure for this job alone; the other is a monthly figure for a whole family of jobs. What travels between them is the pattern, not the amount: experience lifts pay almost everywhere.

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job14 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register2 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild13 of these tasks WikipediaHow the world describes this work8 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures UK NOS SCDSW7Prepare professional reports and records relating to peoplenational standard

Close to this work

12 nearby
PsychologyBehavioral Therapist27 evidenced tasks PsychologyCognitive Behavioral Therapist27 evidenced tasks PsychologyClinical Psychologist26 evidenced tasks PsychologyCounseling Psychologist26 evidenced tasks PsychologyGrief Counselor23 evidenced tasks PsychologyCounselor Assistant22 evidenced tasks PsychologyPsychiatric Social Worker21 evidenced tasks PsychologyForensic Psychologist20 evidenced tasks

Questions people actually ask

A typical day mixes research, meetings, and writing. Mornings often start with data work: cleaning survey files in Microsoft Excel or IBM SPSS Statistics, and checking results in Google Sheets.

Afternoons usually have meetings with HR or managers to advise on selection, training, or safety, plus time drafting reports or PowerPoint slides. Some days include on-site observation of jobs or short counseling sessions with employees.

Start with Excel and SPSS. Excel handles data cleaning, pivot tables, and quick charts; IBM SPSS Statistics runs the statistical tests your reports need.

Also learn Word for reports, PowerPoint for presentations, and Outlook for scheduling. If you will map workflows or create org charts, Microsoft Visio and Project help with process diagrams and project plans.

The roles overlap a lot: both apply psychology to workplaces, study job performance, and design selection and training. Research psychologists focus more on designing and publishing studies, analyzing data, and writing research articles.

I-O practitioners often do more applied HR advising, selection systems, and program implementation. In practice you may do both: advise management, run experiments, and write reports.

Yes, use AI for literature summaries, drafting reports, or generating survey items, but always check outputs against the original sources and your statistical results.

Protect confidential employee data: do not upload identifying data to public AI tools. Use local installs or enterprise-approved tools, and document any AI usage in methods and client proposals.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 790 people were employed in this specific SOC in 2025. The median annual wage was $193,950; the lowest 10% earned about $79,010 and the highest 10% about $247,220.

Those numbers vary by sector: academic research jobs often pay less than private consulting, and experience, location, and client base change earnings.

Take courses in statistics, experimental design, and organizational psychology. Get hands-on experience using Excel and SPSS on small projects or class data sets, then write a short report in Word and present it in PowerPoint.

Volunteer to do a small workplace survey or intern with an HR or safety team to practice job analysis, training design, and advising managers.