There were 299 respondents who worked full time in research positions in the 1997 Salary Survey. Activities associated with research positions include basic or applied research, such as non-faculty positions in academic settings, employment as an investigator in a laboratory or a research institute, and research positions in private industry.
Most of the respondents were employed in university research centers (17%). This was followed by private research organizations (15%) and combined medical school settings (13%). Government research organizations claimed 12% of the researchers, while 6% were within both university psychology departments and other nonprofit organizations. Veteran's Administration (VA) hospitals housed 4% of the researchers.
The summary statistics and frequency distributions for research positions are presented in Figure 3opens in new window . Summary statistics for 11-12-month salaries by years of work experience and employment setting are presented in Table 3opens in new window.
The most frequently reported subfields were clinical (23%), social/personality (13%), experimental and industrial/organizational at 7% each, developmental, cognitive, and quantitative/mathematics/psychometrics/statistics at 6% each, and educational (4%).
The overall median 11-12-month salary for doctoral-level respondents in research positions was $50,000.
Figure 3: Research Positions--Doctoral Levelopens in new window