Entering the Field of

Experimental Psychology
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................3
Methodology.............................................................................................................4
Results......................................................................................................................5
Salary of Experimental Psychologists...............................................................................................5
What kind of tasks Experimental Psychologists perform.................................................................6
Work Environment of Experimental Psychologists...........................................................................7
Required Education...........................................................................................................................8
Job Fields...........................................................................................................................................8
Job Growth.........................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion..............................................................................................................12
Works Cited............................................................................................................13
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Introduction
This white paper presents information and employment projections for those

who are seeking a career in experimental psychology. In the sections that

follow, I will be explaining:

 How much experimental psychologists earn

 What specific jobs they perform

 The work environments within experimental psychology

 The require education to enter this field

 The different subfields within experimental psychology

 Job Growth and Salary Comparisons

 In Idaho

 In Oregon

 At the National Level

 Top 5 States where Experimental Psychology is the most abundant

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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Methodology
1) The methodology I followed was by following the steps that made the most

logical sense to me in the order that follows:

a) How much can someone in this career field make a year?

b) What are the specific work environments this field of psychology is involved

in?

c) What are some of the tasks and assignments that Experimental Psychologists

must perform?

d) What kind of education is required to enter this job field?

e) How does the job growth look over the next couple of years in Experimental

Psychology?

f) How do the salaries and levels of job growth compare on the National level

versus the state levels?

2) I considered different sources to gather information from, but only relied on one

primary source (first one):

a) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

b) American Psychological Association

3) Gather data from the sources and create graphs that reflects different data

groups properly so the reader can understand.

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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

4) I organized the information into sections of the Marketing White Paper that

follows.
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Results
Salary of Experimental Psychologists
The national average annual wage, in the U.S., for general psychologists $82,180

in May 2020. However, this differs from the salary of experimental psychologists

who make around d $105,780 annually as of May 2020. In the specific areas of

work that various fields of psychology are involved in, such as government, the

annual wage was $100,360. In the private sector of this career field, the median

salary was $90,640 (May 2020). All data is reflected in Figure 1. The average

annual wage on the national level versus the different state levels do vary, which is

explained and stated later in this white paper.

Average Salary

Clinical Psychologists
$79,820 Experimental
30% pschologists Experimental pschologists
$105,780 Social psychologists
40% Clinical Psychologists

Social psychologists
$82,180
31%
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology
(Figure 1: Data of salaries graphed provided by U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics)
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

What kind of tasks Experimental Psychologists perform

Psychologists, in general, “study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior by

observing, interpreting, and recording how people relate to one another and to their

environments.” 1 While these tasks are involved in experimental psychology, depending on field

emphasis (as covered later), there are other specific duties of this field. Experimental

psychologists oversee using scientific methods to collect data and perform research. 2 Their work

builds on the work of other fields, more often with a greater emphasis or conclusion, using data

provided and other theories.

The basis of research and observation for psychologists is to better “understand

and explain thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behavior.” 1 When taking data, they

can often manipulate the research to study the effects and changes within the

structure they are observing. Experimental psychologists devote their full work to

research and how their research is effective and the properties of it.

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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Work Environment of Experimental Psychologists

Psychologists are mainly concentrated in the areas of self-employment with about

27% of them working from various environment. Following that, however, is about

25% of psychologists working in environments such as elementary and secondary

schools, state, local, and private. The labor statistics mentioned that “psychologists

held about 178,900 jobs in 2020.”3 School psychologists making up the central

field within psychology, with the other fields, such as experimental psychology,

following.

Experimental psychologists work in similar environments with other psychologists,

but they also work in various settings “including universities, research centers,

government agencies, and private businesses.”4 While experimental psychologists

do have more specific work environments, they are common to what other fields of

psychology are involved in and aren’t too different, except their work depends on

the type of environment.

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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Required Education

When looking at the overall field of psychology, those practicing in clinical,

counseling, and research need a doctoral degree. A master’s degree can be another

option, but the main emphasis is to at least have a graduate degree to fulfill any of

the main fields. Doctoral degrees in the field of psychology vary between Ph.D. or

Psy.D. Those that are focused on advanced degrees for school psychology may

have to get specialist degrees (Ed.S.) The field of experimental psychology, has the

same requirements as most fields, needing a graduate degree such as a doctoral

degree. Anything below a master’s degree will be most likely only applicable in

environments such as social work and some middle education jobs.

Job Fields

When discussing the idea of becoming a psychologist in general, there will always

require the need of an emphasis on the career field and graduate degree. There are

different psychological emphases, or subfields, that influence the studies and focus

of the psychologist’s work. These subfields consist of disciplines like cognitive,

clinical, developmental, forensic, school, and most importantly, experimental

psychology. Once you choose one of those fields, in this case experimental

psychology, there will sometimes be an emphasis on the degree such as human

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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

studies, social, cognitive, and so on. These emphases influence your studies and

work in whatever subfield you are entering.

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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Job Growth

The job outlook for the field of psychology and experimental psychology has a

positive outlook in the coming years. The “overall employment for psychologists is

projected to grow to 8 percent from 2020 to 2030”. 5 In the mentioned projected,

about 13,400 job openings are expected, every year, over the decade. The credit for

the recent rise in demand for psychology services is given to the COVID-19 impact

on the healthcare, government, and private sectors. The current employment for

psychologists in 2020 is 178,900 individuals. Looking at the specific sector

involving experimental psychologists, the employment, at the national level, is at

14,900 (but this number doesn’t include other occupations such as self-

employment). The annual average wage for experimental psychologists, at the

national level, is $100,130. The jobs within this sector are expected to grow by 2%

(1,100 jobs) in the projected decade. This job growth is reflected in figure 2.

Now, when looking at the state levels there is a noticeable difference in job

growth, employment rate, and average annual wage. In the state of Idaho, the

number of employed experimental psychologists (not sum to the totals) is about 60.

The average annual wage for an experimental psychologist in Idaho is $90,740.

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 250,000
Job Growth at National Level

Number of Jobs (by thousands)

200,000
14 192,400
178,900
Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology
150,000
131,100
118,800
100,000

55,200
50,000 56,300

0
2020 2030

Year Projections

Psychologists Clinical Psychologists Experimental Psycholgists

When looking at Oregon, the number of employed experimental psychologists (not

sum to the totals) is about 230. The average annual wage in Oregon, for this career

field, is around $97,840. The salaries compared between the two state levels and

the national level can be seen in Figure 3.

When looking at the overall affect that these two state levels have compared to

others, is minimal. There are 5 top states in which the growth for the field of

experimental psychology is exponentially growing even more rapidly, which

include Florida, Illinois, Texas, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The top

employment number in Florida, in the field of experimental psychology, (not sum

to the totals) is 1,100. Illinois follows with 1,060, Texas: 830, Maryland: 600, and

Massachusetts: 560. The comparison in the average annual wage in these top 5

states is shown in figure 4.

 Salary Comparison of Top 5 States
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology
$120,000

Salary in U.S. Dollars $100,000

$80,000

$60,000

$40,000

$20,000

$0
Salaries

Florida Illinios Texas Maryland Massachusetts

(Figure 2: Data of Job Growth at national level given by U.S. Bureau of Labor

Salary Comparison

$102,000
Salary in U.S. Dollars

$100,000
$98,000
$96,000
$94,000
$92,000
$90,000
$88,000
$86,000
Salaries

National Idaho Oregon

Statistics)
(Figure 3: Data of salaries compared between the national and state level

provided by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

(Figure 4: Data of salaries of top 5 states for experimental psychologists:

provided by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Conclusion

The field of experimental psychology is a continuously growing job field,

emphasizing in certain parts of the U.S. such as Texas and Illinois, where

psychology jobs are in high demand. This specific field of psychology appears

small but is slowing developing into a substantial career field for future

psychologists. For more questions, contact the local psychology department at your

college.
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Entering the Field of Experimental Psychology

Works Cited

American Psychological Association. (2021, September 21). Pursuing a career in

experimental psychology. Retrieved from American Psychological

Association: https://www.apa.org/education-

career/guide/subfields/experimental/education-training

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2008, September 2021). Psychologists :

Occupational outlook handbook. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-

science/psychologists.htm#tab-1

Cover Images: Provided by google images search: “Experimental Psychology”