61 intriguing psychology research topics to explore

Last updated

11 January 2024

Reviewed by

Brittany Ferri, PhD, OTR/L

Psychology is an incredibly diverse, critical, and ever-changing area of study in the medical and health industries. Because of this, it’s a common area of study for students and healthcare professionals.

We’re walking you through picking the perfect topic for your upcoming paper or study. Keep reading for plenty of example topics to pique your interest and curiosity.

  • How to choose a psychology research topic

Exploring a psychology-based topic for your research project? You need to pick a specific area of interest to collect compelling data. 

Use these tips to help you narrow down which psychology topics to research:

Focus on a particular area of psychology

The most effective psychological research focuses on a smaller, niche concept or disorder within the scope of a study. 

Psychology is a broad and fascinating area of science, including everything from diagnosed mental health disorders to sports performance mindset assessments. 

This gives you plenty of different avenues to explore. Having a hard time choosing? Check out our list of 61 ideas further down in this article to get started.

Read the latest clinical studies

Once you’ve picked a more niche topic to explore, you need to do your due diligence and explore other research projects on the same topic. 

This practice will help you learn more about your chosen topic, ask more specific questions, and avoid covering existing projects. 

For the best results, we recommend creating a research folder of associated published papers to reference throughout your project. This makes it much easier to cite direct references and find inspiration down the line.

Find a topic you enjoy and ask questions

Once you’ve spent time researching and collecting references for your study, you finally get to explore. 

Whether this research project is for work, school, or just for fun, having a passion for your research will make the project much more enjoyable. (Trust us, there will be times when that is the only thing that keeps you going.) 

Now you’ve decided on the topic, ask more nuanced questions you might want to explore. 

If you can, pick the direction that interests you the most to make the research process much more enjoyable.

  • 61 psychology topics to research in 2024

Need some extra help starting your psychology research project on the right foot? Explore our list of 61 cutting-edge, in-demand psychology research topics to use as a starting point for your research journey.

  • Psychology research topics for university students

As a university student, it can be hard to pick a research topic that fits the scope of your classes and is still compelling and unique. 

Here are a few exciting topics we recommend exploring for your next assigned research project:

Mental health in post-secondary students

Seeking post-secondary education is a stressful and overwhelming experience for most students, making this topic a great choice to explore for your in-class research paper. 

Examples of post-secondary mental health research topics include:

Student mental health status during exam season

Mental health disorder prevalence based on study major

The impact of chronic school stress on overall quality of life

The impacts of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can occur at all ages, starting as early as elementary school and carrying through into professional workplaces. 

Examples of cyberbullying-based research topics you can study include:

The impact of cyberbullying on self-esteem

Common reasons people engage in cyberbullying 

Cyberbullying themes and commonly used terms

Cyberbullying habits in children vs. adults

The long-term effects of cyberbullying

  • Clinical psychology research topics

If you’re looking to take a more clinical approach to your next project, here are a few topics that involve direct patient assessment for you to consider:

Chronic pain and mental health

Living with chronic pain dramatically impacts every aspect of a person’s life, including their mental and emotional health. 

Here are a few examples of in-demand pain-related psychology research topics:

The connection between diabetic neuropathy and depression

Neurological pain and its connection to mental health disorders

Efficacy of meditation and mindfulness for pain management

The long-term effects of insomnia

Insomnia is where you have difficulty falling or staying asleep. It’s a common health concern that impacts millions of people worldwide. 

This is an excellent topic because insomnia can have a variety of causes, offering many research possibilities. 

Here are a few compelling psychology research topics about insomnia you could investigate:

The prevalence of insomnia based on age, gender, and ethnicity

Insomnia and its impact on workplace productivity

The connection between insomnia and mental health disorders

Efficacy and use of melatonin supplements for insomnia

The risks and benefits of prescription insomnia medications

Lifestyle options for managing insomnia symptoms

The efficacy of mental health treatment options

Management and treatment of mental health conditions is an ever-changing area of study. If you can witness or participate in mental health therapies, this can make a great research project. 

Examples of mental health treatment-related psychology research topics include:

The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with severe anxiety

The benefits and drawbacks of group vs. individual therapy sessions

Music therapy for mental health disorders

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for patients with depression 

  • Controversial psychology research paper topics

If you are looking to explore a more cutting-edge or modern psychology topic, you can delve into a variety of controversial and topical options:

The impact of social media and digital platforms

Ever since access to internet forums and video games became more commonplace, there’s been growing concern about the impact these digital platforms have on mental health. 

Examples of social media and video game-related psychology research topics include:

The effect of edited images on self-confidence

How social media platforms impact social behavior

Video games and their impact on teenage anger and violence

Digital communication and the rapid spread of misinformation

The development of digital friendships

Psychotropic medications for mental health

In recent years, the interest in using psychoactive medications to treat and manage health conditions has increased despite their inherently controversial nature. 

Examples of psychotropic medication-related research topics include:

The risks and benefits of using psilocybin mushrooms for managing anxiety

The impact of marijuana on early-onset psychosis

Childhood marijuana use and related prevalence of mental health conditions

Ketamine and its use for complex PTSD (C-PTSD) symptom management

The effect of long-term psychedelic use and mental health conditions

  • Mental health disorder research topics

As one of the most popular subsections of psychology, studying mental health disorders and how they impact quality of life is an essential and impactful area of research. 

While studies in these areas are common, there’s always room for additional exploration, including the following hot-button topics:

Anxiety and depression disorders

Anxiety and depression are well-known and heavily researched mental health disorders. 

Despite this, we still don’t know many things about these conditions, making them great candidates for psychology research projects:

Social anxiety and its connection to chronic loneliness

C-PTSD symptoms and causes

The development of phobias

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) behaviors and symptoms

Depression triggers and causes

Self-care tools and resources for depression

The prevalence of anxiety and depression in particular age groups or geographic areas

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a complex and multi-faceted area of psychology research. 

Use your research skills to learn more about this condition and its impact by choosing any of the following topics:

Early signs of bipolar disorder

The incidence of bipolar disorder in young adults

The efficacy of existing bipolar treatment options

Bipolar medication side effects

Cognitive behavioral therapy for people with bipolar 

Schizoaffective disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is often stigmatized, and less common mental health disorders are a hotbed for new and exciting research. 

Here are a few examples of interesting research topics related to this mental health disorder:

The prevalence of schizoaffective disorder by certain age groups or geographic locations

Risk factors for developing schizoaffective disorder

The prevalence and content of auditory and visual hallucinations

Alternative therapies for schizoaffective disorder

  • Societal and systematic psychology research topics

Modern society’s impact is deeply enmeshed in our mental and emotional health on a personal and community level. 

Here are a few examples of societal and systemic psychology research topics to explore in more detail:

Access to mental health services

While mental health awareness has risen over the past few decades, access to quality mental health treatment and resources is still not equitable. 

This can significantly impact the severity of a person’s mental health symptoms, which can result in worse health outcomes if left untreated. 

Explore this crucial issue and provide information about the need for improved mental health resource access by studying any of the following topics:

Rural vs. urban access to mental health resources

Access to crisis lines by location

Wait times for emergency mental health services

Inequities in mental health access based on income and location

Insurance coverage for mental health services

Systemic racism and mental health

Societal systems and the prevalence of systemic racism heavily impact every aspect of a person’s overall health.

Researching these topics draws attention to existing problems and contributes valuable insights into ways to improve access to care moving forward.

Examples of systemic racism-related psychology research topics include: 

Access to mental health resources based on race

The prevalence of BIPOC mental health therapists in a chosen area

The impact of systemic racism on mental health and self-worth

Racism training for mental health workers

The prevalence of mental health disorders in discriminated groups

LGBTQIA+ mental health concerns

Research about LGBTQIA+ people and their mental health needs is a unique area of study to explore for your next research project. It’s a commonly overlooked and underserved community.

Examples of LGBTQIA+ psychology research topics to consider include:

Mental health supports for queer teens and children

The impact of queer safe spaces on mental health

The prevalence of mental health disorders in the LGBTQIA+ community

The benefits of queer mentorship and found family

Substance misuse in LQBTQIA+ youth and adults

  • Collect data and identify trends with Dovetail

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Take the headache out of analyzing your data and instantly access the insights you need to complete your next psychology research project by teaming up with Dovetail today.

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Home » 500+ Psychology Research Topic Ideas

500+ Psychology Research Topic Ideas

Table of Contents

Psychology Research Topic Ideas

Psychology is a vast field that encompasses a wide range of topics and research areas. From the study of cognition and behavior to the exploration of mental health disorders, there are countless avenues for researchers to explore within this field. Whether you are a college student, graduate student, or professional in the field of psychology, selecting a research topic can be a daunting task. To help guide your research endeavors, we have compiled a list of 500+ unique psychology research topic ideas across various subfields of psychology. These research topics range from the study of abnormal psychology and cognitive psychology to military psychology and education. With this extensive list, we hope to provide you with inspiration and ideas to jumpstart your research journey.

Psychology Research Topic Ideas

Psychology Research Topic Ideas are as follows:

  • The effects of social media on self-esteem in adolescents
  • The role of parenting styles in shaping children’s personality development
  • The impact of mindfulness meditation on stress reduction in adults
  • The influence of music on mood and emotional regulation
  • The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive functioning
  • The relationship between personality traits and job satisfaction
  • The effects of physical exercise on mental health
  • The role of culture in shaping social identity and behavior
  • The impact of peer pressure on decision-making in adolescents
  • The effects of childhood trauma on adult attachment styles
  • The influence of personality on romantic relationships
  • The effects of bullying on mental health in children and adolescents
  • The role of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating anxiety disorders
  • The impact of positive psychology interventions on well-being
  • The effects of social support on coping with stress
  • The relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement
  • The effects of technology use on cognitive functioning
  • The influence of gender roles on social behavior
  • The effects of pet ownership on mental health
  • The role of attachment styles in parent-child relationships
  • The impact of social comparison on body dissatisfaction in women
  • The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on chronic pain management
  • The relationship between personality disorders and criminal behavior
  • The effects of stereotype threat on academic performance
  • The influence of self-esteem on romantic relationships
  • The effects of environmental factors on cognitive development in children
  • The role of resilience in coping with trauma
  • The effects of gaming on cognitive functioning and addiction
  • The impact of mindfulness interventions on workplace productivity
  • The relationship between social support and physical health.
  • The relationship between self-compassion and mental health
  • The impact of cognitive biases on decision-making
  • The role of attachment styles in romantic relationships
  • The effects of social isolation on mental health
  • The influence of cultural values on parenting practices
  • The relationship between social media use and body image dissatisfaction
  • The effects of childhood obesity on mental health and well-being
  • The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on addiction recovery
  • The role of personality in predicting job performance and success
  • The effects of sleep quality on academic achievement
  • The influence of social identity on intergroup conflict
  • The effects of nature exposure on stress reduction
  • The impact of meditation on empathy and compassion
  • The role of emotion regulation in coping with chronic illness
  • The effects of gratitude interventions on well-being and life satisfaction
  • The relationship between personality traits and leadership effectiveness
  • The impact of trauma on brain development in children
  • The role of social norms in shaping behavior
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on eating disorders
  • The influence of cultural factors on mental health stigma
  • The effects of emotional intelligence on workplace relationships and team effectiveness
  • The relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement
  • The impact of exercise on cognitive aging and dementia prevention
  • The role of empathy in moral decision-making
  • The effects of social comparison on academic motivation
  • The influence of cultural factors on the perception of mental illness
  • The effects of childhood bullying on long-term mental health outcomes
  • The role of personality in romantic partner selection and satisfaction
  • The impact of parental divorce on children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes
  • The relationship between personality traits and coping strategies in stressful situations.
  • The impact of personality disorders on interpersonal relationships
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on workplace stress and burnout
  • The role of emotional intelligence in romantic relationships
  • The effects of cultural factors on the development of eating disorders
  • The relationship between attachment styles and emotional regulation
  • The impact of early childhood education on cognitive development
  • The effects of exposure to violence on mental health outcomes
  • The role of motivation in academic achievement and success
  • The influence of culture on the perception of intelligence and academic achievement
  • The effects of technology use on social skills and communication
  • The relationship between self-esteem and social anxiety
  • The impact of trauma on memory processing and recall
  • The role of parental involvement in academic achievement
  • The effects of exercise on mental health outcomes in older adults
  • The influence of cultural factors on romantic attraction and mate selection
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on depression and anxiety
  • The relationship between personality traits and substance abuse
  • The impact of environmental factors on child development
  • The role of motivation in workplace productivity and job satisfaction
  • The effects of social media use on sleep quality and quantity
  • The influence of cultural factors on the perception and treatment of addiction
  • The effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on social anxiety disorder
  • The relationship between personality traits and risk-taking behavior
  • The impact of prenatal stress on child development and behavior
  • The role of emotional intelligence in leadership effectiveness
  • The effects of meditation on attention and focus
  • The influence of cultural factors on mental health treatment-seeking behavior
  • The effects of traumatic events on personal growth and resilience
  • The relationship between personality traits and creativity
  • The impact of mindfulness interventions on emotion dysregulation in children and adolescents.
  • The effects of social comparison on body dissatisfaction
  • The impact of parental stress on child behavior and development
  • The role of mindfulness in stress management during pregnancy
  • The effects of cultural factors on the development of social anxiety disorder
  • The relationship between personality traits and procrastination
  • The impact of trauma on addiction and substance abuse
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health treatment
  • The effects of exercise on self-esteem and body image
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of eating disorders
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and adult mental health outcomes
  • The impact of meditation on academic performance and focus
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards body image and appearance
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on chronic pain management
  • The relationship between personality traits and moral decision-making
  • The impact of early childhood attachment on romantic relationships
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards sexuality and sexual behavior
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in older adults
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • The relationship between childhood bullying and adult mental health outcomes
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on panic disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards substance use and addiction
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on insomnia and sleep quality
  • The relationship between personality traits and social comparison behavior
  • The impact of parental divorce on romantic relationship outcomes
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards aging and age-related changes
  • The effects of social support on stress management in college students
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of anxiety disorders
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and romantic relationship outcomes
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on social anxiety disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards masculinity and femininity
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on work-related stress
  • The relationship between personality traits and forgiveness
  • The impact of peer pressure on adolescent substance abuse
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health stigma
  • The effects of social support on stress management in healthcare workers
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of depression
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and substance abuse
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on depression
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards body modification and cosmetic surgery
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on emotional regulation in adolescents.
  • The effects of social media on self-esteem and body image in adolescent girls
  • The impact of parental emotional neglect on adult mental health outcomes
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards gender and sexual orientation identity
  • The effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on post-traumatic stress disorder
  • The relationship between personality traits and attachment styles in romantic relationships
  • The impact of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic illness
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards disability and ableism
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on emotional eating and food addiction
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of borderline personality disorder
  • The relationship between childhood adversity and adult mental health outcomes
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on generalized anxiety disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards aging and dementia
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic pain
  • The relationship between personality traits and coping strategies in response to stress
  • The impact of maternal mental health on child behavior and development
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health in the workplace
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on stress and burnout in healthcare professionals
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of narcissistic personality disorder
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and sleep disorders
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on bipolar disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards diversity and inclusion
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in refugees and immigrants
  • The relationship between personality traits and empathy
  • The impact of social comparison on academic performance and motivation
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health in the military
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on addiction recovery and relapse prevention
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of antisocial personality disorder
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and borderline personality disorder
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on social skills and communication in autism spectrum disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health in the LGBTQ+ community
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with substance use disorder
  • The relationship between personality traits and creativity in the arts and sciences
  • The impact of early childhood exposure to violence on adult mental health outcomes
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and aging in rural communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and self-care
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of schizophrenia
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and dissociative identity disorder
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on social anxiety in children and adolescents
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and spirituality
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic stress.
  • The impact of personality traits on job performance and satisfaction
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • The effects of exposure therapy on phobias and anxiety disorders
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health in minority communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in caregivers of individuals with chronic illness or disability
  • The relationship between cognitive flexibility and problem-solving abilities
  • The impact of psychoeducation on stigma reduction towards mental illness
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and substance use in college students
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on academic performance and stress in college students
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and depression in adulthood
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on depression and anxiety in cancer patients
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and body image in men
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome
  • The relationship between resilience and post-traumatic growth
  • The impact of music therapy on mental health outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and motherhood
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on emotional regulation and mood disorders in adolescents
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of hoarding disorder
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and substance use disorder in adulthood
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on insomnia and sleep disorders
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and masculinity
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic migraines
  • The relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness
  • The impact of group therapy on social skills and communication in individuals with autism spectrum disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and aging in urban communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on compassion and empathy in healthcare professionals
  • The influence of personality traits on the development of postpartum depression
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and bipolar disorder in adulthood
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on self-esteem and body image in individuals with eating disorders
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and family dynamics in immigrant families
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic gastrointestinal disorders
  • The relationship between personality traits and self-compassion
  • The impact of play therapy on social-emotional development in children with autism spectrum disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and aging in LGBTQ+ communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on anxiety and depression in individuals with chronic pain
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and borderline personality disorder symptoms in adolescence
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms in children and adolescents.
  • The effects of physical exercise on mood and anxiety in older adults
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and attachment styles in romantic relationships
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on body dysmorphic disorder symptoms
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and spirituality in indigenous communities
  • The relationship between personality traits and risky behavior in adolescence
  • The influence of parental bonding on the development of borderline personality disorder in young adults
  • The impact of mindfulness interventions on stress and burnout in healthcare professionals
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and disability in rural communities
  • The effects of psychotherapy on self-compassion in individuals with depression
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms in adulthood
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on social anxiety disorder in individuals with autism spectrum disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behaviors in Asian American communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • The influence of family functioning on the development of substance use disorders in adolescents
  • The impact of expressive writing on emotional processing in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in survivors of domestic violence
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and disordered eating behaviors in young adults
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on panic disorder symptoms in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community support in refugee populations
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD)
  • The relationship between personality traits and romantic relationship satisfaction
  • The influence of childhood attachment on the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in adulthood
  • The impact of group therapy on social skills and self-esteem in individuals with social anxiety disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and faith-based support in African American communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on emotion regulation and coping skills in individuals with borderline personality disorder
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and anxiety sensitivity in adulthood
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on health anxiety symptoms in individuals with chronic illnesses
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and social stigma in Hispanic/Latino communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic hepatitis C
  • The relationship between personality traits and decision-making processes
  • The influence of parent-child communication on the development of eating disorders in adolescents
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on gambling disorder symptoms
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and access to care in rural communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with bipolar disorder
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and rumination in adulthood
  • The impact of group therapy on self-esteem and assertiveness in individuals with avoidant personality disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Native American populations.
  • The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance and decision-making
  • The relationship between personality traits and addiction susceptibility
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on hoarding disorder symptoms
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and spirituality in Hispanic/Latino communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with multiple sclerosis
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and emotional regulation in adulthood
  • The influence of social media on body image and self-esteem in adolescents
  • The impact of mindfulness interventions on impulsivity and self-control in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behaviors in LGBTQ+ communities
  • The effects of cognitive training on cognitive performance and brain structure in older adults
  • The relationship between personality traits and risk-taking behaviors in college students
  • The impact of family therapy on communication and conflict resolution in families with a history of domestic violence
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Asian American communities
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and interpersonal functioning in adulthood
  • The influence of cultural identity on mental health outcomes in immigrant populations
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on eating disorder symptoms in individuals with type 1 diabetes
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and stigma in Arab American communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and attachment styles in adulthood friendships
  • The impact of expressive writing on stress and immune function in caregivers of individuals with dementia
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in rural Native American communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic pain and depression
  • The relationship between personality traits and emotional intelligence
  • The influence of parental warmth and discipline on the development of anxiety disorders in children
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on postpartum depression symptoms
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and access to care in South Asian communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and resilience in adulthood
  • The impact of group therapy on social anxiety and loneliness in individuals with hearing loss
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community support in Pacific Islander communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and depression
  • The relationship between personality traits and leadership styles
  • The influence of peer relationships on the development of depressive symptoms in adolescents
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on body image and self-esteem in individuals with gender dysphoria
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Middle Eastern communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and substance use disorders in adulthood
  • The impact of group therapy on emotion regulation and self-esteem in individuals with personality disorders
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in immigrant and refugee communities.
  • Sure, here are 40 more psychology research topic ideas:
  • The effects of meditation on creativity and divergent thinking
  • The relationship between personality traits and career satisfaction
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on sleep disturbances in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behaviors in Black communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI)
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and attachment styles in romantic relationships in adulthood
  • The influence of social norms on substance use behaviors in college students
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on social anxiety symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Indigenous communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with chronic pain
  • The impact of group therapy on emotion regulation and social connectedness in individuals with eating disorders
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in African immigrant communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI)
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and the development of eating disorders in adulthood
  • The influence of social identity on stereotype threat and academic performance in college students
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in individuals with Parkinson’s disease
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behaviors in Southeast Asian communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • The relationship between personality traits and coping strategies in individuals with chronic pain
  • The impact of group therapy on emotion regulation and social support in individuals with borderline personality disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Muslim communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and depression
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and emotional intelligence in adulthood
  • The influence of attachment styles on romantic relationship satisfaction in adults
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on social anxiety symptoms in individuals with social communication disorder (SCD)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in refugee communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with substance use disorders
  • The relationship between personality traits and resilience in individuals with chronic illnesses
  • The impact of group therapy on emotion regulation and social skills in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Caribbean communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with fibromyalgia and depression
  • The influence of social comparison on body dissatisfaction and eating disorder behaviors in adolescents
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on depression symptoms in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Native Hawaiian communities
  • The relationship between personality traits and coping strategies in individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
  • The impact of group therapy on social anxiety symptoms in individuals with intellectual disabilities
  • The role of social comparison in body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors in men
  • The effects of parental attachment on romantic relationships in adulthood
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on anxiety symptoms in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • The relationship between cultural values and parenting practices in Latino families
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and anxiety
  • The role of social norms in shaping attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behaviors in South Asian communities
  • The influence of personality traits on academic achievement in college students
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on depression symptoms in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
  • The relationship between attachment styles and romantic relationship satisfaction in same-sex couples
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with schizophrenia
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Arab communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with chronic pain and anxiety
  • The relationship between childhood adversity and substance use disorders in adulthood
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on anxiety symptoms in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • The role of cultural beliefs about mental illness and stigma in Latino communities
  • The effects of social identity on stereotype threat and academic achievement in minority college students
  • The relationship between personality traits and coping strategies in caregivers of individuals with dementia
  • The impact of group therapy on depression symptoms in individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in LGBTQ+ communities
  • The relationship between attachment styles and romantic relationship satisfaction in individuals with chronic illnesses
  • The influence of personality traits on stress and coping in police officers
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on anxiety symptoms in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD)
  • The role of cultural beliefs about mental illness and stigma in Asian communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and depression
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and interpersonal relationships in adulthood
  • The impact of group therapy on anxiety symptoms in individuals with social phobia
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Native American communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with postpartum depression
  • The relationship between personality traits and burnout in healthcare professionals
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on anxiety symptoms in individuals with chronic pain and fibromyalgia
  • The role of cultural beliefs about mental illness and stigma in African American communities
  • The effects of social support on mental health outcomes in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and anxiety
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and emotional regulation in adolescence
  • The influence of personality traits on well-being and life satisfaction in older adults
  • The impact of group therapy on depression symptoms in individuals with borderline personality disorder
  • The role of culture in shaping attitudes towards mental health and community resources in Hispanic/Latino communities
  • The effects of mindfulness interventions on self-compassion and emotional regulation in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • The relationship between attachment styles and emotional regulation in individuals with substance use disorders

Psychology Research Topic Ideas College Students

  • The effects of virtual reality exposure therapy on anxiety and phobias among college students
  • The relationship between attachment styles and romantic relationship satisfaction among college students
  • The impact of social norms on substance use among college students
  • The effects of cultural identity on mental health and academic achievement among college students
  • The role of self-compassion in reducing burnout among college students
  • The relationship between social media use and FOMO (fear of missing out) among college students
  • The impact of environmental factors on mental health and well-being among college students
  • The effects of self-esteem on social anxiety and social skills among college students
  • The role of positive psychology interventions in promoting well-being and academic success among college students
  • The relationship between gender identity and mental health outcomes among college students
  • The impact of parental communication on mental health and academic performance among college students
  • The effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on PTSD symptoms among college students
  • The relationship between personality traits and academic procrastination among college students
  • The role of humor in reducing stress and promoting well-being among college students
  • The impact of social identity on academic motivation and achievement among college students
  • The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on academic performance and mental health among college students
  • The relationship between academic stress and substance use among college students
  • The role of cultural competence in promoting diversity and inclusion on college campuses
  • The impact of emotional intelligence on academic success and career readiness among college students
  • The effects of peer mentoring programs on academic motivation and success among college students
  • The relationship between exercise and cognitive functioning in college students
  • The role of optimism in promoting resilience and well-being among college students
  • The impact of music therapy on anxiety and depression among college students
  • The effects of exposure to nature on mental health and well-being among college students
  • The relationship between parental involvement and emotional regulation among college students
  • The role of forgiveness in promoting well-being and interpersonal relationships among college students
  • The impact of social comparison on body image and self-esteem among college students
  • The effects of attachment styles on coping with stress among college students
  • The relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic performance among college students
  • The role of grit in promoting academic perseverance and achievement among college students
  • The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and well-being among college students
  • The effects of peer pressure on substance use and risky behaviors among college students
  • The relationship between social support and academic engagement among college students
  • The role of cognitive biases in promoting or hindering academic success among college students
  • The impact of physical activity on mental health and well-being among college students
  • The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on academic motivation and success among college students
  • The relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout among college students
  • The role of parental support in promoting academic resilience and success among college students with disabilities
  • The impact of diversity education on promoting empathy and reducing prejudice among college students
  • The effects of assertiveness training on communication skills and interpersonal relationships among college students.

Graduate Psychology Research Topic Ideas

  • The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in clinical populations
  • The role of self-compassion in promoting emotional well-being among adults with chronic illness
  • The effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on PTSD symptoms in military veterans
  • The relationship between sleep quality and cognitive functioning in aging populations
  • The impact of positive psychology interventions on well-being and resilience among individuals with chronic pain
  • The role of emotion regulation in reducing symptoms of borderline personality disorder
  • The effects of virtual reality exposure therapy on social anxiety in individuals with autism spectrum disorder
  • The relationship between executive functioning and academic achievement in children with ADHD
  • The impact of family-based interventions on reducing symptoms of substance use disorders among adolescents
  • The role of mindfulness in promoting emotional regulation and stress management in healthcare professionals
  • The effects of cognitive remediation therapy on cognitive functioning in individuals with schizophrenia
  • The relationship between attachment styles and therapeutic alliance in psychotherapy
  • The impact of cultural factors on the manifestation and treatment of eating disorders
  • The role of emotion regulation in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in postpartum women
  • The effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on reducing symptoms of OCD
  • The relationship between childhood ADHD and adult executive functioning and academic achievement
  • The impact of animal-assisted therapy on reducing symptoms of PTSD in veterans
  • The role of social support in promoting resilience and well-being among individuals with chronic illness
  • The effects of cognitive remediation therapy on reducing negative symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia
  • The relationship between executive functioning and social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing symptoms of hoarding disorder
  • The role of emotion regulation in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
  • The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on reducing symptoms of burnout among healthcare professionals
  • The relationship between social support and quality of life in individuals with multiple sclerosis
  • The impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder
  • The role of mindfulness in promoting well-being and emotional regulation in individuals with chronic pain
  • The effects of cognitive remediation therapy on reducing negative symptoms in individuals with bipolar disorder
  • The relationship between executive functioning and academic achievement in children with learning disabilities
  • The impact of acceptance and commitment therapy on reducing symptoms of social anxiety disorder
  • The role of emotion regulation in reducing symptoms of borderline personality disorder in adolescents
  • The effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing symptoms of panic disorder
  • The relationship between social support and depression in individuals with HIV/AIDS
  • The impact of cognitive remediation therapy on reducing symptoms of ADHD in adults
  • The role of mindfulness in promoting well-being and emotional regulation in individuals with depression
  • The effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing symptoms of substance use disorders in individuals with co-occurring PTSD
  • The relationship between executive functioning and quality of life in individuals with traumatic brain injury
  • The impact of acceptance and commitment therapy on reducing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • The role of emotion regulation in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents with chronic illness
  • The effects of cognitive remediation therapy on reducing cognitive impairment in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Military Psychology Research Topic Ideas

  • The impact of military deployment on the mental health and well-being of service members
  • The role of resilience in promoting posttraumatic growth among military personnel
  • The effects of combat exposure on emotional regulation and decision-making abilities
  • The relationship between military leadership styles and team cohesion
  • The impact of military culture on help-seeking behaviors among service members with mental health concerns
  • The role of perceived social support in promoting resilience among military spouses during deployment
  • The effects of military service on identity formation and self-concept
  • The relationship between deployment-related stress and marital satisfaction among military couples
  • The impact of military sexual trauma on mental health outcomes and treatment seeking behaviors among service members
  • The role of mindfulness in reducing symptoms of PTSD among military personnel
  • The effects of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing symptoms of PTSD among military veterans
  • The relationship between military deployment and substance use disorders
  • The impact of military deployment on parent-child relationships and child outcomes
  • The role of perceived organizational support in promoting job satisfaction and retention among military personnel
  • The effects of exposure therapy on reducing combat-related nightmares and sleep disturbances among military personnel
  • The relationship between military service and risk-taking behaviors
  • The impact of military culture on mental health stigma and treatment seeking behaviors among service members
  • The role of positive psychology interventions in promoting resilience and well-being among military personnel and their families
  • The effects of virtual reality exposure therapy on reducing symptoms of specific phobias among military personnel
  • The relationship between military service and traumatic brain injury
  • The impact of deployment on career development and job satisfaction among military personnel
  • The role of cognitive appraisal in the stress and coping process among military personnel
  • The effects of a peer support program on reducing symptoms of PTSD among military personnel
  • The relationship between military service and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization
  • The impact of military deployment on parenting practices and child outcomes among military families
  • The role of perceived organizational justice in promoting job satisfaction and retention among military personnel
  • The effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety among military personnel
  • The relationship between military service and suicidal ideation and behavior
  • The impact of military deployment on social support networks and social integration
  • The role of perceived unit cohesion in promoting resilience and mental health among military personnel
  • The effects of cognitive remediation therapy on improving cognitive functioning and job performance among military personnel with traumatic brain injury
  • The relationship between military service and alcohol misuse and addiction
  • The impact of military deployment on sibling relationships and family functioning
  • The role of perceived leadership support in promoting job satisfaction and retention among military personnel
  • The effects of exposure therapy on reducing symptoms of phobic avoidance among military personnel
  • The relationship between military service and eating disorders
  • The impact of military deployment on community reintegration and social support among veterans
  • The role of perceived control in the stress and coping process among military personnel
  • The effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety among military spouses during deployment
  • The relationship between military service and personality disorders.

Psychology Research Topic Ideas in Education

  • The effects of mindfulness practices on student well-being and academic performance
  • The impact of classroom diversity on student attitudes and academic achievement
  • The role of parent-teacher communication in promoting student success
  • The effects of differentiated instruction on student engagement and academic achievement
  • The relationship between school climate and student mental health outcomes
  • The impact of technology integration on student learning outcomes
  • The role of teacher-student relationships in promoting student engagement and academic success
  • The effects of social-emotional learning programs on student behavior and academic performance
  • The relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement
  • The impact of peer tutoring on student academic performance
  • The role of motivation in promoting student academic success
  • The effects of educational gaming on student engagement and academic achievement
  • The relationship between parental involvement and student academic achievement
  • The impact of teacher expectations on student academic performance
  • The role of goal-setting in promoting student academic success
  • The effects of growth mindset interventions on student motivation and academic achievement
  • The relationship between teacher burnout and student academic outcomes
  • The impact of teacher diversity on student attitudes and academic achievement
  • The role of classroom management in promoting student engagement and academic success
  • The effects of student-centered learning on student academic performance
  • The relationship between teacher empathy and student academic outcomes
  • The impact of school-based mental health services on student mental health outcomes and academic achievement
  • The role of parental involvement in homework on student academic success
  • The effects of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement
  • The relationship between student motivation and academic achievement in STEM fields
  • The impact of teacher professional development on student academic outcomes
  • The role of teacher feedback in promoting student academic success
  • The effects of cooperative learning on student engagement and academic achievement
  • The relationship between classroom climate and student academic outcomes
  • The impact of restorative justice practices on student behavior and academic achievement
  • The role of teacher support in promoting student academic success
  • The effects of flipped classrooms on student engagement and academic achievement
  • The relationship between teacher autonomy and student academic outcomes
  • The impact of teacher collaboration on student academic performance
  • The role of metacognition in promoting student academic success
  • The effects of active learning on student engagement and academic achievement
  • The relationship between student engagement and academic achievement in language learning
  • The impact of teacher coaching on student academic outcomes
  • The role of self-regulated learning in promoting student academic success
  • The effects of outdoor learning on student engagement and academic achievement.

Cognitive Psychology Research Topic Ideas

  • The role of attention in perception and memory
  • The effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive functioning
  • The relationship between creativity and cognitive flexibility
  • The cognitive processes involved in decision-making
  • The impact of stress on cognitive performance
  • The role of working memory in problem-solving
  • The cognitive factors involved in language acquisition
  • The relationship between attention and executive functions
  • The effect of aging on cognitive abilities
  • The role of attention in visual perception
  • The cognitive processes involved in learning and memory
  • The impact of technology on cognitive development
  • The relationship between cognition and emotion
  • The effect of anxiety on cognitive performance
  • The cognitive processes involved in attentional control
  • The role of executive functions in decision-making
  • The effect of mindfulness practices on cognitive functioning
  • The relationship between language and cognition
  • The cognitive processes involved in reading comprehension
  • The impact of nutrition on cognitive development
  • The role of working memory in language processing
  • The effect of exercise on cognitive performance
  • The cognitive processes involved in mental rotation tasks
  • The relationship between cognitive load and learning
  • The effect of multitasking on cognitive performance
  • The cognitive processes involved in problem-solving
  • The role of executive functions in goal-directed behavior
  • The impact of cognitive training on cognitive abilities
  • The relationship between attention and perception
  • The effect of music on cognitive performance
  • The cognitive processes involved in decision-making under uncertainty
  • The role of cognitive control in self-regulation
  • The impact of bilingualism on cognitive development
  • The relationship between cognitive biases and decision-making
  • The effect of caffeine on cognitive performance
  • The cognitive processes involved in face recognition
  • The role of cognitive dissonance in attitude change
  • The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on cognitive functioning
  • The relationship between cognitive styles and problem-solving
  • The cognitive processes involved in mental imagery.

Forensic Psychology Research Topic Ideas

  • The impact of childhood trauma on criminal behavior
  • The effectiveness of forensic psychological evaluations in court proceedings
  • The role of mental illness in criminal behavior
  • The effect of substance abuse on criminal behavior
  • The impact of eyewitness testimony on legal outcomes
  • The role of psychopathy in criminal behavior
  • The effectiveness of restorative justice practices
  • The relationship between socioeconomic status and criminal behavior
  • The effect of media coverage on public perceptions of crime
  • The impact of prison environment on offender rehabilitation
  • The role of the insanity defense in criminal cases
  • The effectiveness of sex offender treatment programs
  • The relationship between domestic violence and homicide
  • The effect of legal representation on trial outcomes
  • The impact of juvenile delinquency prevention programs
  • The role of cultural factors in criminal behavior
  • The effectiveness of parole and probation programs
  • The relationship between mental illness and violence
  • The effect of polygraph testing on legal outcomes
  • The impact of criminal profiling on law enforcement investigations
  • The role of victim impact statements in sentencing
  • The effectiveness of correctional education programs
  • The relationship between childhood attachment styles and criminal behavior
  • The effect of cognitive biases in legal decision-making
  • The impact of witness identification procedures on accuracy
  • The role of forensic hypnosis in criminal investigations
  • The effectiveness of drug court programs
  • The relationship between alcohol use and criminal behavior
  • The effect of societal stereotypes on criminal sentencing
  • The impact of prison overcrowding on offender rehabilitation
  • The role of cultural competence in forensic assessments
  • The effectiveness of diversion programs for juvenile offenders
  • The relationship between trauma and criminal behavior in women
  • The effect of plea bargaining on legal outcomes
  • The impact of social support on offender rehabilitation
  • The role of forensic psychology in counterterrorism efforts
  • The effectiveness of offender reentry programs
  • The relationship between intellectual disability and criminal behavior
  • The effect of forensic testimony on jury decision-making.

Abnormal psychology research topic ideas

  • The effects of childhood trauma on the development of anxiety disorders
  • The relationship between depression and sleep disturbances
  • The effectiveness of psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder
  • The impact of social media on body image and eating disorders
  • The role of genetics in the development of schizophrenia
  • The effect of early intervention on the progression of psychosis
  • The impact of stigma on help-seeking behaviors for mental health disorders
  • The relationship between substance use disorders and mental health
  • The effect of exercise on symptoms of depression and anxiety
  • The impact of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy on post-traumatic stress disorder
  • The role of attachment styles in the development of personality disorders
  • The effectiveness of cognitive remediation therapy for schizophrenia
  • The relationship between childhood ADHD and the development of anxiety disorders
  • The effect of mindfulness meditation on symptoms of depression and anxiety
  • The impact of cultural factors on the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders
  • The role of neuroplasticity in the treatment of addiction
  • The effectiveness of exposure therapy for specific phobias
  • The effect of stress on the development of mental health disorders
  • The impact of sleep disturbances on the onset of bipolar disorder
  • The role of trauma in the development of dissociative disorders
  • The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia
  • The relationship between childhood abuse and the development of borderline personality disorder
  • The effect of peer support on the recovery of individuals with mental health disorders
  • The impact of cultural differences on the presentation of mental health symptoms
  • The role of cognitive biases in the maintenance of anxiety disorders
  • The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder
  • The relationship between early life stressors and the development of depression
  • The effect of nutrition on mental health
  • The impact of virtual reality exposure therapy on phobia treatment
  • The role of genetics in the development of mood disorders
  • The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for anxiety disorders
  • The relationship between childhood trauma and the development of dissociative identity disorder
  • The effect of stigma on treatment outcomes for individuals with mental health disorders
  • The impact of childhood adversity on the development of personality disorders
  • The role of emotional regulation in the treatment of borderline personality disorder
  • The effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy for depression
  • The relationship between sleep disturbances and the development of anxiety disorders
  • The effect of stigma on mental health professionals’ treatment decisions
  • The impact of cultural factors on the expression of bipolar disorder symptoms.

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StatAnalytica

Exploring 200+ Psychology Topics to Research: Unlocking the Depths of the Mind

psychology topics to research

The world of psychology is as vast as the human mind itself. Delving into the intricate workings of the human psyche can be both fascinating. For students, academics, or anyone with a curious mind, choosing the right psychology topics to research is paramount. In this blog, we’ll navigate through the labyrinth of psychology topics, helping you find your way to a captivating and meaningful research endeavor.

How To Select Psychology Topics To Research?

Table of Contents

  • Follow Your Interests: Start with what you love. What aspects of human behavior or the mind fascinate you the most? It’s much easier to research something you’re passionate about.
  • Consider Relevance: Think about how your chosen topic fits into your academic or career goals. Does it relate to what you’re studying or the job you want? If it does, great!
  • Balance the Scope: Don’t pick a topic that’s too broad or too narrow. Find that sweet spot in the middle. You want a topic that’s focused enough to research effectively but not so narrow that there’s no existing information.
  • Explore Different Areas: Research the various branches of psychology, like cognitive, social, clinical, developmental, or biological psychology. See which one resonates with you the most.
  • Seek Advice: Talk to your professors, mentors, or peers. They can provide guidance and suggestions based on your interests and goals.

200+ Popular Psychology Topics To Research: Category Wise

40+ cognitive psychology topics.

  • The role of working memory in problem-solving.
  • Cognitive effects of sleep deprivation.
  • Neural basis of attention and focus.
  • Influence of language on cognitive development.
  • Decision-making biases in economic behavior.
  • The psychology of learning and memory.
  • The impact of stress on cognitive performance.
  • Cognitive decline in aging populations.
  • Emotion and memory recall.
  • False memories and eyewitness testimony.
  • Cognitive processes in creativity.
  • Cognitive aspects of decision-making in healthcare.
  • The psychology of expertise and skill acquisition.
  • Cognitive factors in reading comprehension.
  • The role of schemas in information processing.
  • Cognitive development in infants.
  • Cognitive rehabilitation after brain injury.
  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and executive functions.
  • Neural mechanisms of perception and visual attention.
  • The psychology of problem-solving in artificial intelligence.
  • Cognitive aspects of mathematical reasoning.
  • Neural plasticity and cognitive recovery.
  • Cognitive load and its impact on learning.
  • Memory consolidation during sleep.
  • Attentional disorders and their impact on cognitive functioning.
  • The influence of music on cognitive processes.
  • Cognitive development in bilingual individuals.
  • Cognitive aspects of decision-making in criminal behavior.
  • Neural correlates of cognitive control.
  • The psychology of cognitive biases in politics.
  • Cognitive effects of mindfulness meditation.
  • The part working memory plays in academic success.
  • Cognitive processes in language acquisition.
  • Cognitive factors in problem gambling behavior.
  • The psychology of cognitive development in children with autism.
  • Cognitive aspects of spatial navigation.
  • Memory distortions and the courtroom.
  • Neural basis of cognitive dissonance.
  • Cognitive aspects of social perception.
  • Cognitive rehabilitation in Alzheimer’s disease.

40+ Social Psychology Research Topics

  • The impact of social media on self-esteem.
  • Groupthink and decision-making.
  • Stereotype threat in academic settings.
  • Bystander effect in emergencies.
  • Cross-cultural perspectives on conformity.
  • Online dating and self-presentation.
  • The psychology of social influence.
  • The role of empathy in prosocial behavior.
  • Social identity and intergroup relations.
  • Aggression and video game exposure.
  • Prejudice and discrimination in modern society.
  • The influence of social norms on behavior.
  • Attitudes and attitude change.
  • Social support and mental health.
  • Obedience to authority figures.
  • Social comparison and self-concept.
  • The psychology of attraction and relationships.
  • The bystander intervention model.
  • Body image and social media.
  • Political polarization and social psychology.
  • The psychology of fake news and misinformation.
  • Emotional contagion and social interactions.
  • Stereotyping in the workplace.
  • Consequences of cyberbullying.
  • The impact of group dynamics on creativity.
  • Gender roles and socialization.
  • The role of humor in social interactions.
  • Social factors in decision-making and risk-taking.
  • Altruism and volunteerism.
  • The psychology of leadership and authority.
  • Social exclusion and its effects on individuals.
  • The relationship between religion and prosocial behavior.
  • Social influence in marketing and advertising.
  • Online activism and social change.
  • The psychology of online communities and forums.
  • Attachment styles and adult relationships.
  • Social perceptions of beauty and attractiveness.
  • Social isolation’s negative consequences on mental health.
  • The psychology of public speaking anxiety.
  • The role of forgiveness in interpersonal relationships.

40+ Clinical Psychology Research Topics

  • Effects of childhood trauma on mental health in adults.
  • Efficacy of virtual therapy for treating anxiety disorders.
  • Exploring the genetics of schizophrenia.
  • Effects of mindfulness meditation on depression.
  • Cultural factors in the diagnosis of eating disorders.
  • Examining the link between sleep disorders and mood disorders.
  • Assessing the effectiveness of group therapy for substance abuse.
  • The role of attachment in borderline personality disorder.
  • Investigating the stigma surrounding mental illness.
  • Treating PTSD in veterans through exposure therapy.
  • Neurobiological basis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
  • Parent-child relationships and their impact on conduct disorder.
  • Gender differences in the prevalence of depression.
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder.
  • Psychopharmacology and treatment-resistant depression.
  • The psychology of self-harm and self-injury.
  • Internet addiction and its connection to mental health.
  • Assessing the efficacy of art therapy for PTSD.
  • Personality disorders and their impact on interpersonal relationships.
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in treating borderline personality disorder.
  • Factors contributing to the rise in adolescent depression.
  • Exploring the link between childhood abuse and dissociative identity disorder.
  • Cross-cultural perspectives on the diagnosis of ADHD.
  • The role of serotonin in mood disorders.
  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction in chronic pain management.
  • Impact of family dynamics on eating disorders in adolescents.
  • Examining the long-term effects of child neglect on adult mental health.
  • Psychosocial factors in the development of schizophrenia.
  • Gender dysphoria and psychological well-being.
  • The psychology of resilience in cancer patients.
  • Attachment styles and their influence on adult relationships.
  • Virtual reality exposure therapy for phobias.
  • Exploring the effectiveness of equine therapy for trauma survivors.
  • Autism spectrum disorders and early intervention.
  • Body image dissatisfaction and its link to eating disorders.
  • The psychological impact of chronic illness.
  • Cognitive rehabilitation in traumatic brain injury.
  • Sleep disorders in children and their impact on academic performance.
  • The role of social support in recovery from substance abuse.
  • Neuropsychological assessment in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.

40+ Developmental Psychology Research Topics

  • The impact of parental divorce on child development.
  • Adolescents’ self-identity and social media.
  • Long-term effects of early childhood attachment on adult relationships.
  • Gender identity development in children.
  • The influence of birth order on personality development.
  • The role of genetics in language development.
  • Autism spectrum disorder interventions for toddlers.
  • Adolescent peer pressure and substance abuse.
  • The impact of bullying on psychological development.
  • Sibling rivalry and its long-term effects.
  • Parenting styles and their influence on children’s behavior.
  • The development of moral reasoning in children.
  • Influence of cultural factors on child development.
  • Attachment theory and foster care outcomes.
  • The impact of technology on cognitive development in children.
  • Children’s understanding of death and grief.
  • Cognitive development in bilingual children.
  • The role of play in early childhood development.
  • Attachment disorders and interventions in adopted children.
  • The development of emotional intelligence in adolescents.
  • The impact of poverty on child development.
  • The relationship between nutrition and cognitive development.
  • Bullying prevention and intervention programs in schools.
  • The role of grandparents in child development.
  • Developmental aspects of sibling relationships.
  • Child prodigies and their psychological development.
  • Gender stereotypes and their influence on children’s aspirations.
  • The effects of early education on academic success.
  • Cognitive development in children with learning disabilities.
  • The impact of divorce on young adults’ romantic relationships.
  • Parent-child communication about sex education.
  • Adolescents’ body image and its influence on self-esteem.
  • Influence of peer relationships on early social development.
  • The role of extracurricular activities in adolescent development.
  • Long-term outcomes for children in same-sex parent families.
  • Cognitive development in children with ADHD.
  • The effects of early exposure to screens on cognitive development.
  • The role of attachment in adolescent mental health.
  • Identity development in multicultural children.

40+ Biological Psychology Research Topics

  • The neural basis of addiction and substance abuse.
  • The role of genetics in personality traits.
  • Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function.
  • Exploring the gut-brain connection and its impact on mental health.
  • Neural mechanisms of stress and its long-term effects.
  • The relationship between brain structure and intelligence.
  • The impact of exercise on brain health and cognition.
  • Neurobiological factors in eating disorders.
  • Neural pathways involved in fear and anxiety.
  • The influence of hormones on behavior and mood.
  • Neuroplasticity and its implications for recovery after brain injuries.
  • The biology of memory and amnesia.
  • Understanding the neurological basis of schizophrenia.
  • The role of neurotransmitters in depression.
  • The impact of aging on brain structure and function.
  • Neural mechanisms underlying aggression and violence.
  • Brain imaging techniques and their applications in research.
  • The effects of prenatal exposure to toxins on brain development.
  • Neurological aspects of autism spectrum disorders.
  • Brain changes associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
  • The genetics of Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Neurobiology of consciousness and altered states of consciousness.
  • The role of the amygdala in emotional processing.
  • Neural mechanisms of sexual attraction and orientation.
  • The impact of nutrition on brain development and function.
  • Brain regions involved in decision-making and impulsivity.
  • Neurological factors in Tourette’s syndrome.
  • The biology of reward and motivation.
  • Neural correlates of empathy and social cognition.
  • Genetic predisposition to addiction.
  • The influence of hormones on maternal behavior.
  • The neurological basis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • Adolescent brain development and the effects on behavior.
  • The prefrontal cortex’s function in executive tasks.
  • Linguistic disorders and language neuroscience.
  • Neuroinflammation’s effects on mental health.
  • Mechanisms in the brain that affect sensory perception.
  • Neurological and genetic influences on bipolar disorder.
  • The impact of persistent pain on brain development and function.
  • The endocannabinoid system’s function in controlling mood.

Research Methodology for Psychology Topics

Understanding various research methodologies is key to conducting a successful study. Whether you opt for experimental designs, surveys, case studies, or sophisticated data analysis, each method offers unique insights. Choose the methodology that aligns with your research questions and objectives, ensuring a robust and reliable study.

Resources for Psychology Research

In the digital age, a wealth of resources for psychology topics to research is at your fingertips. Utilize academic journals, databases, books, and online courses to enhance your understanding. 

Engage with professional organizations and attend conferences to stay updated with the latest research trends and network with fellow enthusiasts.

Tips for Successful Psychology Topics for Research

  • Choose a Fascinating Topic: Select a research topic that genuinely interests you. Your passion and curiosity will drive your motivation and engagement throughout the research process.
  • Narrow Your Focus: Refine your research question to ensure it’s specific and manageable. A focused question will lead to more meaningful and in-depth findings.
  • Conduct a Thorough Literature Review: Familiarize yourself with existing research in your chosen area. This helps you build on prior knowledge and identify gaps in the literature.
  • Hypothesize and Predict: Develop clear hypotheses and predictions for your study. This sets the direction for your research and provides a framework for data collection and analysis.
  • Choose the Right Research Method: Select the research method that best suits your research question, whether it’s experiments, surveys, interviews, or case studies.
  • Ethical Considerations: Prioritize ethical guidelines in your research, including obtaining informed consent, ensuring confidentiality, and avoiding harm to participants.
  • Sample Selection: Carefully choose your sample to make sure it’s representative of the population you’re studying. Consider factors like age, gender, and cultural diversity.
  • Data Collection: Collect data systematically and ensure its accuracy and reliability. Use well-established measurement tools when applicable.
  • Data Analysis: Employ appropriate statistical techniques to analyze your data. Make use of software like SPSS or R for thorough analysis.
  • Interpret Results Objectively: Avoid confirmation bias and interpret your results objectively, even if they don’t align with your initial hypotheses.
  • Discuss Limitations: Acknowledge the limitations of your study in your research paper. This demonstrates your awareness of potential weaknesses and strengthens your research’s credibility.
  • Contribute to the Field: Highlight the significance of your research and how it contributes to the broader field of psychology. What does it add to existing knowledge?
  • Write Clearly and Concisely: Communicate your findings in a clear, concise, and well-structured manner. Use APA or other relevant style guides for formatting.
  • Peer Review: Seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, or professors. Peer review can help identify blind spots and improve the quality of your work.
  • Stay Organized: Maintain detailed records of your research process, including notes, data, and references. Organization is key to successful research.
  • Time Management: Plan your research timeline carefully, allocating sufficient time for each stage, from literature review to data collection and analysis.
  • Persevere: Research often involves setbacks and challenges. Stay persistent, adapt when necessary, and remain dedicated to your research goals.
  • Publish and Share: Consider presenting your research at conferences and seek opportunities for publication in academic journals . Sharing your findings contributes to the advancement of the field.
  • Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest research trends and developments in psychology. Attend conferences and join professional organizations to stay connected with the academic community.
  • Collaborate: Don’t hesitate to collaborate with other researchers, as teamwork can lead to valuable insights and more significant research outcomes.

Choosing the psychology topics to research is akin to embarking on an adventure into the depths of the human mind. Each topic holds the potential to unravel mysteries, challenge assumptions, and make a meaningful impact on individuals and society. 

As you venture into this realm, remember that your curiosity and dedication are your greatest assets. Embrace the journey, learn from every step, and let your research contribute to the ever-expanding tapestry of psychological knowledge. Happy researching!

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Top 15 Psychology Survey Questions for Questionnaires

Psychology surveys

What are psychology survey questions?

Psychology survey questions are survey questions asked to collect information about an individual to evaluate the mental state of the respondent. Such questions enable the researcher to categorize different behaviors, traits, and conditions. Such survey questions are used by a number of industries such as healthcare, corporates, recruitment firms, defense services and many more. Psychology survey questions are created and analyzed by psychologists, mental health professionals, psychiatrists, members of the judicial system and other psychology experts. Some examples of psychology surveys are anxiety surveys, Depression questionnaires , happiness surveys , personality surveys , quality of life survey , life attitudes survey , mental health surveys , couples surveys , health care survey , and many more.

LEARN ABOUT: Survey Mistakes And How to Avoid

For example, a psychologist wants to understand the factors that may be the cause of a student’s depression problem. For such a situation the mental health professional can ask the patient to answer a depression survey for students which includes psychology questions that will enable them to understand the psyche of the patient and evaluate their behavior, traits, lifestyle, and other parameters that may have impacted the student’s mental state. The classroom response system allowed students to answer multiple-choice questions and engage in real-time discussions instantly. Such questions can be very helpful as it may sometimes shed light on patients who might even have suicidal tendencies. Using the responses from such questions can help the psychologist devise corrective actions for their patients.

Another instance where psychology surveys can be used is while conducting psychological studies. These personality surveys can help the researcher to collect data on the behavior, traits, attitudes, and lifestyle of a person.  Using this data will enable the researcher to prove a psychological study that is based on the psyche of a person. For example, the color red and yellow is known to increase hunger in a person. In such a case, a psychology survey will help the researcher to collect the right information needed for their research and prove the hypothesis.

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Psychology survey questions for questionnaires

Following are a few psychology survey questions that can help you evaluate the behaviors, traits, and attitudes of your respondent. An important point to remember when conducting psychology surveys is that wording the questions appropriately to create an effective research design will help you get good response rates . Also, demographic questions are important in such surveys as they play a vital role in shaping the psyche of a person.

Demographic questions for psychology questionnaire

  • Other (Please specify)
  • How old are you?
  • Please state your ethnicity?
  • In which country did you spend most of your life?
  • High school
  • Associate degree
  • Bachelors degree
  • Masters degree
  • Permanent full-time employment
  • Non-permanent full-time employment
  • Permanent part-time employment
  • Non-permanent part-time employment
  • Full-time student
  • Part-time student
  • In a casual relationship
  • In a serious, committed relationship
  • Unmarried but cohabiting
  • Divorced/separated
  • Other (please specify)

Generic psychology survey questions for questionnaires

  • On a scale of 1 to 7, 7 being the highest, how happy do you consider yourself?
  • I am content with the current state of my life
  • Currently, I don’t need to worry about the finances in my life
  • I am satisfied with my life
  • I am happy with the relationships in my life
  • I am happy with my professional life
  • Do you have any other concerns that you would like to mention?

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How To Write a Good Survey for Psychological Research

  • By Cliff Stamp, BS Psychology, MS Rehabilitation Counseling
  • Published November 21, 2019
  • Last Updated November 14, 2023
  • Read Time 7 mins

psychology survey examples

Posted November 2019 by Clifton Stamp, B.S. Psychology; M.A. Rehabilitation Counseling, M.A. English; 10 updates since. Reading time: 7 min. Reading level: Grade 9+. Questions on surveys for psychological research? Email Toni at: [email protected] .

Surveys are a common and powerful tool in psychological research. They’re an essential data collection tool that gathers self-report data in an experiment. Surveys follow two patterns: the questionnaire method and the structured interview. The questionnaire method is the more common of the two, with participants completing the survey without the researcher present. In a structured interview, the researcher is present and asks participants questions.

Using Surveys for Psychological Research

Researchers use surveys to investigate the opinions, behaviors, demographics and other characteristics of a group of people. The demographic information that’s collected can be brief or exhaustive, with information like ethnicity, sex, religion, political affiliation among the most commonly collected items. Hypothetical situations are also common survey questions, with researchers asking respondents what they would do in particular situations.

Surveys have a lot of advantages. They can be administered rapidly, with information collected over the phone, through the web, in person, or by mail.  They allow a great deal of data to be gathered, fairly rapidly. However, for surveys to work well, they must be constructed correctly. Surveys must have high reliability and validity . Reliability refers to a study’s ability to produce the same results across multiple administrations. In general terms, validity refers to a study’s ability to measure what it’s supposed to measure. Surveys can be invalid but produce reliable–although incorrect results. A valid survey will also produce reliable results. Reliability and validity are determined through intensive testing and statistical analysis. These procedures help make sure that surveys produce data that can be properly used in evaluating hypotheses.

Writing Great Psychology Surveys

Surveys, also called questionnaires, have many advantages, but they carry some potential problems too. People maybe be unduly influenced by the way questions are worded, the order in which response choices are presented, even the nature of the question itself. These extraneous influences limit the reliability and validity of a survey, which is why the best psychology surveys are crafted to avoid those issues.

To avoid these issues, make sure you eliminate biased language from your surveys. For example, the phrase “car wreck” may imply a serious collision, where “automobile accident” is much more neutral. Be aware of cultural and regional factors if you plan to make wide generalizations from your sampling.

All psychology experimentation is reliant on researchers having very clear ideas of what they’re investigating and how those questions are treated. The process of turning big-picture concepts into measures that can be tested, into questions that can be asked is called operationalization. Operationalizing a research question and all the survey items is an essential part of the process.

When it comes to wording, some essential rules to follow are:

  • Write each question in simple to read, easy to understand language. A good rule of thumb is to write questions at the 6th to 8th grade reading level.
  • Ask your question immediately, using unambiguous words. Be careful of words like “very,” “many,” “a lot,” and so forth.” They can introduce ambiguity.
  • Avoid dual, or double-barreled questions. A survey question that states “This product worked well and was easy to use” is an example of a double-barreled question, as there may be two very different possibilities for this single question.
  • Allow for a “does not apply” or “don’t know” response, but be aware sometimes they aren’t needed. For example,  “How easy was it making your purchase?” wouldn’t require a “does not apply” response option.

The importance of the questionnaire design and contents is utterly crucial. Each psychology survey question must focus on the variable or variables you’ve chosen to study. Survey design needs to be mindful of the following factors:

  • Surveys need to be fairly brief, taking no more than 15 minutes . The longer surveys are, the fewer people think carefully about their responses. They go faster in responding to get the survey finished as rapidly as possible.
  • Use a Likert-type scale as often as possible for measures of agreement, satisfaction and approval. Likert scales ranging from 5 to 7 points, with a middle “neutral” position. Likert scales allow for fine degrees of statistical analysis to be performed on data. Although there is occasional controversy about allowing middle positions (“slightly agree” or “slightly disagree”), research indicates that middle positions prevent over-polarized choices .
  • Keep coding consistent.  All survey responses are coded numerically for analysis.  All questions must be coded the same. That is, code responses so that the most positive outcome on each question is always given 5 points, for example, or however many points you choose. The critical point is that all survey questions have the same point value across questions. If “strongly disagree” on one question accrues a score of 1, all “strongly disagree” responses should be coded as a 1. This allows statistics to be generated on a survey rapidly, which is a big help in drawing conclusions.
  • Close-ended questions tend to be easier and faster to score and quantify than open-ended questions. Open-ended survey questions, on the other hand, give more complete information, yet require more complex analysis .

Steps in Carrying Out a Psychological Survey

  • Define your variables . This is part of the aforementioned operationalization of your study. You have to have a clear and quantifiable definition for each variable in your survey.
  • Develop a general hypothesis : Your hypothesis is a general idea about a testable situation. However, a hypothesis must be paired with a null hypothesis.  A null hypothesis is a prediction that the survey will yield no significant associations between your tested variables. If your study does show significant relationships, then you have rejected the null hypothesis. This becomes crucial in the statistical analysis phase, after collecting all your survey data.
  • Perform a literature review.  A literature review is a thorough investigation of all research about one’s hypothesis that has been published in scholarly outlets, like professional journals. A thorough literature review helps researchers avoid pitfalls while pointing out ways to improve one’s psychology survey topics.
  • Design survey . A survey design must be tailored to the needs of the experiment, particularly the nature of the variables.
  • Choose your participants. Who do you want to study and what do you want to investigate about your chosen population? A portion of a population is called a sample and choosing a sample is a topic of its own. The larger a sample is, the more accurately it reflects its population so that results can be generalized. However, it’s hard, if not impossible, to survey tens of thousands of people at one time. Sampling is a way to draw information that can then be analyzed by sophisticated statistical means to make statements about populations.
  • Conduct the survey . Consider how you’re going to administer your survey. Phone surveys and internet-based surveys work differently from in-person interviews. In-person psychology surveys require a precise, standardized way of interacting with people taking the survey.
  • Analyze results . The first pass through a data set is conducted by statistics programs. Interesting relationships may then be highlighted and examined. It’s important to note that a single survey doesn’t have a tremendous amount of generalizability. If a study is investigation a broad demographic, for example political standings among African-American men from age 18 to 25, and one’s sample size is 500, it’s going to be problematic to attempt to apply findings from a small sample size.

Surveys work best when they are thoughtfully constructed and given to large sample sizes. By paying attention when the psychology survey topics are chosen and during the survey’s design phase, researchers can build an instrument that will yield data that’s reliable, valid and generalizable.

More Articles of Interest:

  • Tips For Designing Psychology Experiments
  • What Happens in a Psychology Laboratory?
  • How Psychologists Use Deception
  • Top Ten Online Resources for Teaching Psychology
  • How Do I Study Psychology? Tips for the First-Year Student

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Research Topics & Ideas: Psychology

100+ Psychology Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Research

Research topics and ideas in psychology

If you’re starting out on the dissertation or thesis journey for your psychology degree, the very first challenge you’ll face is finding a solid research topic . In this post, we’ll help get the topic ideation process started by providing a meaty list of research ideas, spanning a range of psychology sub-disciplines. We’ll also look at some examples from actual theses and dissertations to give you an idea of what these look like in the real world.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps (which we’ll explain a little later). Therefore, it’s important to recognise that this post is only the first step in finding a high-quality psychology-centred research topic. To develop a research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this all sounds a bit intimidating, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course , which covers the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from A-Z. You can also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, have a look at our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Psychology-Related Topics

  • How to find a research topic (video)
  • Behavioural psychology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Educational psychology
  • Forensic psychology
  • Social psychology
  • Sports psychology
  • Examples of actual dissertation topics
  • Free Webinar : Topic Ideation 101
  • Where to get extra help

How To Find A Research Topic

In the video below, we explain how to find suitable research ideas (in psychology or any field), and how to then refine those into well-articulated potential topics for your dissertation or thesis. We also discuss a few important evaluation criteria to help you make the right choice for your project.

Below you’ll find a list of research ideas to get your thinking started. Please note that these research topic ideas are intentionally broad and generic, so you will need to refine them a fair deal using the techniques we discussed in the video above.

We’ve grouped the topic ideas based on a few popular areas of psychology to make it a little easier for you to find something in your particular field of interest. That said, there is naturally some overlap between topics, so keep this in mind.

Research Ideas: Behavioural Psychology

  • Cultural variation in behaviour and mental health of adolescents during a disaster: a case study
  • The impact of parental drug use and risky behaviour on early child development
  • The effects of video game violence on aggressive behaviour among teenage boys in school
  • The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and adult risk-seeking behaviour
  • The impact of physical exercise on anxiety and health-harming behaviour
  • The relationship between personality traits and addiction behaviour
  • The effects of reinforcement schedules on decision-making and associative learning
  • The effects of daily mindfulness practice on stress and anxiety in middle-aged women
  • The use of behavioural interventions in the treatment of eating disorders in poorer communities
  • Understanding implicit cognitive processes involved in the over-consumption of fast food
  • The use of cognitive behavioural therapy for alcohol addiction treatment
  • The impact of extensive technology use in children on long-term attention and focus
  • The impact of social media on self-destructive behaviour and poor mental health outcomes
  • Exploring the role of sleep and sleep deprivation on healthy behaviours

Research topic idea mega list

Research Ideas: Clinical Psychology

  • The use of mindfulness-based approaches in the treatment of anxiety disorders among college students
  • The use of technology in the delivery of psychological services in war-torn countries
  • The effectiveness of dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder
  • The use of virtual reality technology in the treatment of phobias and PTSD among war veterans
  • The role of childhood adversity on adult mental health in immigrant populations in the USA
  • The role of genetics and epigenetics in the development of bipolar disorder in Pakistani women: an integrative review
  • The effectiveness of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of social anxiety among hikikomori in Japan
  • The perception of healthcare workers and patients on the use of teletherapy for the delivery of psychological services
  • The impact of social support on mental health outcomes among single parents.
  • The effectiveness of integrative therapeutic approaches in the treatment of schizophrenia
  • The effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies on post-traumatic growth in domestic abuse survivors
  • The role and use of cognitive-behavioural therapy for depression among first-generation students
  • The effectiveness of family therapy in addressing childhood trauma and depression
  • The impact of cultural mistrust on the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in culturally-diverse populations
  • The effectiveness of group therapy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among survivors of sexual assault

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Research Ideas: Cognitive Psychology

  • The impact of lifelong aerobic exercise on cognitive function in old age
  • The effects of evening screen use on cognitive development in preschool children
  • The impact of sleep deprivation on decision-making among graduate students
  • The use of neuroimaging to understand the neural basis of memory retrieval
  • The effect of conservative religious homes on social functioning in LGBT+ adolescents
  • The role of positive emotions in working memory among high school learners
  • The neural basis of decision-making and problem-solving during undergraduate statistic assessments
  • The neural basis of language processing among adults learning English as a second language
  • The role of technological tools in improving working memory in older adults
  • The role of attention in emotional face processing among adult males
  • The impact of depression on cognitive function during ageing The impact of daily meditation and mindfulness practice on cognitive function
  • The relationship between increased protein intake and improved cognitive function
  • The effects of stress on cognitive function among final-year learners

Research topic evaluator

Research Ideas: Developmental Psychology

  • The impact of maternal affection on cognitive, social, and emotional development
  • The effects of parenting styles on children’s executive function
  • The impact of late-night screen use on child development
  • The role of digital play on child development outcomes
  • Exploring the impact of poverty on early child development in Brazil
  • The trauma-informed care as moderating the impact of trauma on child development
  • Evaluating the relationship between peer relationship quality and child social development
  • The impact of child-targeted media and advertising on child behavioural development
  • The role of parental attachment in child resilience
  • The moderating impact of culture on bullying and child social development
  • The impact of single-parenting on child development in India
  • The impact of early educational interventions on child socio-emotional development
  • The impact of digital technology use on adolescent development and mental health
  • The impact of socioeconomic status on child executive function
  • The role of genetics and epigenetics on child neurodevelopmental outcomes linked to depression

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psychology research survey ideas

Research Ideas: Educational Psychology

  • The relationship between self-regulated learning and academic performance in asynchronous versus synchronous learning environments
  • Exploring effective parental involvement strategies and their impact on student achievement
  • The role of intrinsic motivation in formative assessment in the classroom
  • The impact of classroom management and practice on student learning and behaviour
  • University students’ preference regarding online learning environments
  • The effects of gentrification on student achievement in traditionally poor neighbourhoods
  • The impact of teacher expectations and academic self-concept on K12 student mathematics performance
  • The use and effectiveness of game-based learning in a high school biology classroom
  • The impact of prejudice on the relationship between student motivation and academic performance among Black university students
  • The impact of culture on second language English student learning preferences
  • The effects of student self-efficacy and engagement on academic performance in secondary school mathematics
  • The role of metacognition in learning musicality in hip hop
  • The role of small group instruction on teacher efficacy and stress in early childhood education
  • The perception and use of multimedia among high school biology teachers in France
  • The use of augmented reality applications and its impact on student learning, motivation and attitude

Research Ideas: Forensic Psychology

  • The impact of trauma on the psychological functioning of police officers and first responders
  • Understanding cultural considerations during forensic psychological assessment and treatment of trauma
  • Ethical considerations of the use of AI in forensic psychology in the legal system
  • The psychological factors related to recidivism among white collar female offenders in the USA
  • The psychological factors related to false confessions among juveniles
  • Understanding the use of psychological assessment in the evaluation of eyewitness testimony in criminal courts in England
  • The impact of trauma on the reflective functioning of adult female sexual assault victims
  • The use and effectiveness of psychological interventions in reducing recidivism among non-violent criminals
  • The impact of domestic violence on the mental health and forensic evaluation of men
  • Exploring the ethical considerations and use of behavioural analysis in the study of criminal behaviour
  • The use and limitations of neuropsychological assessment in forensic evaluations
  • The use of social media forensics in evaluating criminal behaviour in violent crimes
  • The racialised use of psychological assessment in the evaluation of competency to stand trial in Canada
  • Exploring the use and availability of virtual reality technologies in forensic psychology in Spain
  • The impact of motivational interviewing-based interventions among criminalized drug users

Research Ideas: Social Psychology

  • The impact of prejudice and discrimination on social behaviour among African immigrants in South Africa
  • The impact of social networks on behaviour and well-being among young adult females
  • The effects of social identity on non-conformity in University students
  • The effects of group dynamics on risk-seeking behaviour in adult men
  • The impact of social media on the quality of interpersonal relationships among high school learners
  • The impact of parental emotional intelligence on pro-social behaviour in children and adolescents
  • The effects of conformity and deviance on social attitudes and behaviour during a global recession
  • The effects of Tik Tok on social comparison and self-esteem among teenage girls
  • Understanding gendered differences in social influence and algorithms on impulsive decision-making
  • The effects of social support on mental health among healthcare workers in the UK
  • The effects of gender roles on social behaviour among trans teens
  • The impact of perceived power and social status on the behaviour of social media influencers
  • The impact of social norms on prosocial behaviour among women
  • The effects of community participation on aggression and violence in middle-aged men
  • The impact of culture and gender on social behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic

Research Ideas: Sports Psychology

  • The moderating role of cultural factors on the relationship between mental health and sports performance in team sports
  • The role of mindfulness practice in addressing stress and anxiety in young national athletes
  • The relationship between team cohesion and performance in cricket teams
  • The effect of transformational leadership on female sports teams in Canada
  • The effect of positive self-talk on athletic performance and motivation among Olympic athletes
  • The use and perception of hypnosis in New Zealand team sports Understanding stress and burnout in University team athletes
  • The efficacy of personalised nutrition and diet on athletic performance among sprinters
  • Exploring mental preparation techniques and their effect on athletic motivation and resilience among team-sport athletes
  • Exploring the perception and understanding of goal-setting characteristics on athletic performance among team coaches
  • The effects of motivational feedback on the performance of female gymnasts
  • The perception and use of visualization and imagery among coaches as a means to enhance sport performance
  • The impact of sports injuries on mental health and recovery in high school athletes
  • The moderating role of sleep on mental toughness and sports performance in Olympic athletes
  • The use and perception of technology in sports training and performance in little league softball

Free Webinar: How To Find A Dissertation Research Topic

Psychology-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in psychology, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various psychology degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

  • Effects of a Patient Question Prompt List on Outpatient Palliative Care Appointments (McDarby, 2022)
  • The role of affect and exercise goals in physical activity engagement in younger and older adults (Stojanovic, 2022)
  • Lay Theories about Whether Emotion Helps or Hinders Reasoning and Well-being (Karnaze, 2022)
  • The effects of blast-induced traumatic brain injury on two transgenic models of Alzheimer’s Disease (Gann, 2020)
  • Understanding the parental mind: Examining the stability of parental reflective functioning across the birth of a child and associations with maternal mind-mindedness (Pitzen, 2021)
  • An investigation of ineffective ally behaviours (Collier, 2019)
  • Response Inhibition-Related Beta Power: Distinguishing Cognitively Intact Elders by Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (Evans, 2021)
  • Recognition Memory of Extremely High-Frequency Words (Miller, 2019)
  • The Relationship between Dementia Caregiver Burden and Caregiver Communications in a Memory Clinic Setting (Martin, 2021)
  • Examination of Maternal Versus Paternal Ratings of Child Pre-Injury Functioning in Predicting Child Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (Sayer, 2021)
  • Electromyography As A Means of Predicting The Rubber Hand Illusion (Teaford, 2021)
  • Linking Diversity Climate and Feedback Seeking Through Interpersonal Processes and Race Effects (Flores, 2021)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are far more specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Fast-Track Your Topic Ideation

Still unsure about how to find the right topic for your research project? Check out our private coaching services , where we work with psychology students on a 1:1 basis to help them find the perfect topic.

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Topic Kickstarter: Research topics in education

10 Comments

Mariam Nakamanya

Great insight

Tom Byaruhanga

A very interesting site that offers a variety of options regarding research topics.

Derek Jansen

You’re most welcome

Aiman Kanwal

A good platform to get information

Chiemerie Lucy Okolo

Amazing and interesting options 👌

Mahwish Haris Awan

Very useful but had not any field of research in health psychology

Aishah

I feel honored going through this lovely stuff put together. Thank you so much

Olaniyan Olatunbosun

I need counseling psychology research topics

Fiso Ncube

very empowering and insightful presentations. Can I be assisted in crafting a school psychology-related research topic about African context

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Psychology survey: Definition and best questions

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The field of psychology offers a glimpse into the complexities of the human experience. One powerful tool that psychology researchers use to explore these complexities is the survey. Psychology surveys help researchers to gather data from a large group of people and gain insights into a range of psychological phenomena. 

In this blog, we’ll explore more about the importance of surveys in psychological research, ethical considerations in their design, and their various types. Whether you are a researcher or simply interested in the working of the human mind, using survey research in psychology will help you gain insights that will help you take meaningful actions. 

What do you mean by a psychology survey?

As the name suggests, psychology surveys are a series of questions asked to the respondents in order to understand their thought processes and mental state. Psychological surveys bring out the various traits, behaviors, and conditions in respondents that can affect their actions the most. 

Psychological surveys are used in many sectors of work like corporate, medical and health, recruitment firms, and so on, whereas the survey is analyzed and created by psychologists, mental health professionals, psychiatrists, people from judicial systems, and more who know about psychological beings.

Example: a psychologist wants to study what factors can cause an employee’s depression problems. He then conducts a depression survey for the employees with questions helping them understand what causes behavior elevation in employees, their traits, lifestyle, work-life balance, and other factors. 

Psychology survey questions let you know whether there are any suicidal tendencies between employees, and will be able to derive meaningful actions from dealing with them. 

Apart from this, psychology surveys also help researchers who are studying psychology. It helps them collect relevant behavioral data indicating various traits and attitudes human beings possess. Such data will help them prove certain psychological assumptions, for example, the color blue is said to develop trust in people. Hence, most banks and financial companies have blue in their logo. 

What is the role of surveys in psychology research?

In psychology, researchers use surveys to collect self-report data from the target audience. It helps gather factual information on the behavior, opinions, demographics, and characteristics of the target group. 

Surveys offer many advantages. You can administer a psychology survey rapidly and gather data via multiple channels such as online or email, through phone, or in person. Survey software , moreover, ensures that your survey produces data of high reliability and validity. By gathering representative data from a wider and more diverse audience, you can explore various aspects of the human experience. 

A wide range of online survey tool functionalities to create interactive surveys in seconds.

Understand how easy it is to create, test, distribute, and design the surveys., psychological survey questions examples.

In this section, we will explore some question examples that you can use in your psychology surveys. 

Questions based on demographics

  • What is your gender?
  • Prefer not to say
  • What is your age?
  • What is your ethnicity?
  • Which country have you spent most of your life in?
  • What is your highest education qualification?
  • High school
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Masters degree
  • What is your employment status? 
  • Permanent full time
  • Non-permanent full time
  • Permanent part-time
  • Non-permanent part-time
  • Unemployed 
  • Full-Time student
  • Part-time student
  • What is your relationship status?
  • In a causal relationship
  • In a serious relationship
  • How many children do you have?

General psychology survey questions

  • On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest score, how happy do you consider yourself to be?
  • Do you consider yourself happier than most of your colleagues and friends?
  • How often do you feel lonely? 
  • Very often 
  • How often do you feel depressed? 
  • State your level of agreement with the following questions using “Totally agree, agree, neutral, disagree, totally disagree.”
  • I am satisfied with my current life 
  • I am not worried about finances in my life currently
  • I am happy with the social relationships in my life 
  • I am happy with my professional life 
  • How often do you procrastinate on a daily basis?
  • Is there anything else bothering you? 

Quality of life survey questions:

  • Rate your overall health on a scale of 1 to 10.  
  • How satisfied are you with your social life and relationships?
  • How often do you participate in physical activity?
  • How often do you engage in leisure activities?
  • How satisfied/dissatisfied, on a scale of 0-5, are you with your career?

Anxiety survey questions:

  • How often do you feel anxious when you are in public?
  • Have you avoided any activity due to anxiety in the last 30 days?
  • How much does anxiety interfere with your daily life?
  • Do you get intrusive thoughts when you are with people?

Personality survey questions:

  • How sociable do you consider yourself to be?
  • How often do you engage in new experiences?
  • How organized do you consider yourself?
  • How empathetic would you say you are?
  • How likely are you to approach a person yourself first?

Depression survey questions:

  • How often do you miss an outing due to feeling down?
  • How often do you experience physical symptoms of depression, like lack of sleep or appetite?
  • How often do you have thoughts of self-harm?
  • How much does depression interfere with your daily life?

Life attitude surveys:

  • How optimistic would you say you are on a scale of 1 to 7?
  • How much control do you think you have over your daily life?
  • Do you engage in new activities for personal growth?
  • Do you enjoy exploring new hobbies?
  • How satisfied are you with your accomplishment in your personal life?

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Psychology survey - why is it important?

As we discussed above, surveys play a vital role in psychological research. It allows you to gather hidden insights from a large number of participants using a standardized and systematic approach. Below are some reasons why psychology surveys are important. 

  • Evaluate respondents’ opinions:

By gathering responses directly from the target audience, you gain a deeper look into their attitudes and beliefs, which impacts their personal life. You can leverage it to explore a wide spectrum of their psychological circumstances, such as social attitudes, personality traits, and mental health.  

  • Assess participants’ behavior and experiences: 

With the survey, you can measure various aspects; for example, you can evaluate their experiences with eating habits and also sexual behaviors. 

  • Uncover risk factors: 

Psychology survey data can help in identifying any potential risk factors for an individual. You can use the feedback to develop and improve preventative measures in a timely manner. 

  • Evaluate preventive efforts:

The surveys assess the effectiveness of interventions by gathering audiences’ levels of satisfaction/dissatisfaction. The survey responses tell you how effective the current programs are and identify the gaps in them so that you can improve or develop new ones. 

  • Understanding differences between individual conditions: 

With these insights, you can uncover differences in the varying conditions of different people. It enables you to see the contrast in cognitive abilities, personality attributes, and mental soundness, which helps you build prevention actions for unique needs. 

What are the ethical considerations when designing psychological survey questions?

Here we have explained six ethical considerations you need to consider when designing psychology survey questions. 

  • Informed consent: 

It is important to inform survey respondents about the purpose of the survey, the procedures involved, and the risks and benefits of participation before they agree to partake. Ensure complete transparency and communicate the intention and goal of the survey.

  • Confidentiality : 

Inform participants that their responses will be kept confidential and anonymous. Leverage survey software that enables you to protect respondents’ privacy and data throughout the research. 

Reassure them that no one will be able to trace their feedback back to them and that you will integrate all the data for analysis. 

  • Voluntary participation : 

Respondents should not feel that they are coerced or pressured to participate. Remind them that they are free to refuse participation. 

  • Minimizing bias : 

Avoid using leading or loaded questions that could influence their responses. Review the language and tone of your psychology survey questions so it doesn’t reflect any bias or perception. 

  • Respect for diversity: 

Avoid questions that could be offensive or insensitive, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and cultural background.

  • Professional competence: 

Researchers/interviewers should have the necessary expertise and training to conduct surveys in an ethical and responsible manner.

Maximize response rates by adapting to respondent preferences.

Meet respondents where they are and drive survey completion.

Psychology surveys - use cases

Psychological surveys are versatile, and researchers can use them across a range of sectors, including healthcare, corporations, recruitment firms, and many others. Surveys help gather information about the attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and experiences of an individual. 

Healthcare is a common use case of this survey type. Medical professionals utilize it to assess mental welfare. It helps evaluate the effectiveness of treatments and to identify risk factors for various mental health conditions. 

For example, personality surveys can assess personality traits. While quality-of-life surveys can help assess the impact of one’s psychological conditions on their daily life.

Organizations and recruitment firms also sometimes use psychological surveys to collect information about job candidates, employees, and organizational culture. Surveys can assess personality, work preferences, and job satisfaction, among other factors. The firm can use the data to make hiring decisions, identify gaps for improvement, and develop training programs.

With the right survey tools and expertise, you can easily create surveys to assess the quality of life, anxiety, and other important psychological factors. The insight can help improve your understanding of mental health, behavior, and well-being and develop effective interventions to promote positive outcomes.

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See how Voxco can enhance your research efficiency.

The significance of psychology surveys cannot be overstated. The surveys offer a cost-effective and efficient way to collect data from a diverse population. This allows you to gather more nuanced insights into human behavior and mental health. Moreover, the data you collect helps develop more effective interventions and programs to improve mental well-being.

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Overview of the Scientific Method

Learning Objectives

  • Describe some techniques for turning research ideas into empirical research questions and use those techniques to generate questions.
  • Explain what makes a research question interesting and evaluate research questions in terms of their interestingness.

Generating Empirically Testable Research Questions

Once you have a research idea, you need to use it to generate one or more empirically testable research questions, that is, questions expressed in terms of a single variable or relationship between variables. One way to do this is to look closely at the discussion section in a recent research article on the topic. This is the last major section of the article, in which the researchers summarize their results, interpret them in the context of past research, and suggest directions for future research. These suggestions often take the form of specific research questions, which you can then try to answer with additional research. This can be a good strategy because it is likely that the suggested questions have already been identified as interesting and important by experienced researchers.

But you may also want to generate your own research questions. How can you do this? First, if you have a particular behavior or psychological characteristic in mind, you can simply conceptualize it as a variable and ask how frequent or intense it is. How many words on average do people speak per day? How accurate are our memories of traumatic events? What percentage of people have sought professional help for depression? If the question has never been studied scientifically—which is something that you will learn when you conduct your literature review—then it might be interesting and worth pursuing.

If scientific research has already answered the question of how frequent or intense the behavior or characteristic is, then you should consider turning it into a question about a relationship between that behavior or characteristic and some other variable. One way to do this is to ask yourself the following series of more general questions and write down all the answers you can think of.

  • What are some possible causes of the behavior or characteristic?
  • What are some possible effects of the behavior or characteristic?
  • What types of people might exhibit more or less of the behavior or characteristic?
  • What types of situations might elicit more or less of the behavior or characteristic?

In general, each answer you write down can be conceptualized as a second variable, suggesting a question about a relationship. If you were interested in talkativeness, for example, it might occur to you that a possible cause of this psychological characteristic is family size. Is there a relationship between family size and talkativeness? Or it might occur to you that people seem to be more talkative in same-sex groups than mixed-sex groups. Is there a difference in the average level of talkativeness of people in same-sex groups and people in mixed-sex groups? This approach should allow you to generate many different empirically testable questions about almost any behavior or psychological characteristic.

If through this process you generate a question that has never been studied scientifically—which again is something that you will learn in your literature review—then it might be interesting and worth pursuing. But what if you find that it has been studied scientifically? Although novice researchers often want to give up and move on to a new question at this point, this is not necessarily a good strategy. For one thing, the fact that the question has been studied scientifically and the research published suggests that it is of interest to the scientific community. For another, the question can almost certainly be refined so that its answer will still contribute something new to the research literature. Again, asking yourself a series of more general questions about the relationship is a good strategy.

  • Are there other ways to define and measure the variables?
  • Are there types of people for whom the relationship might be stronger or weaker?
  • Are there situations in which the relationship might be stronger or weaker—including situations with practical importance?

For example, research has shown that women and men speak about the same number of words per day—but this was when talkativeness was measured in terms of the number of words spoken per day among university students in the United States and Mexico. We can still ask whether other ways of measuring talkativeness—perhaps the number of different people spoken to each day—produce the same result. Or we can ask whether studying elderly people or people from other cultures produces the same result. Again, this approach should help you generate many different research questions about almost any relationship.

Evaluating Research Questions

Researchers usually generate many more research questions than they ever attempt to answer. This means they must have some way of evaluating the research questions they generate so that they can choose which ones to pursue. In this section, we consider two criteria for evaluating research questions: the interestingness of the question and the feasibility of answering it.

Interestingness

How often do people tie their shoes? Do people feel pain when you punch them in the jaw? Are women more likely to wear makeup than men? Do people prefer vanilla or chocolate ice cream? Although it would be a fairly simple matter to design a study and collect data to answer these questions, you probably would not want to because they are not interesting. We are not talking here about whether a research question is interesting to us personally but whether it is interesting to people more generally and, especially, to the scientific community. But what makes a research question interesting in this sense? Here we look at three factors that affect the  interestingness  of a research question: the answer is in doubt, the answer fills a gap in the research literature, and the answer has important practical implications.

First, a research question is interesting to the extent that its answer is in doubt. Obviously, questions that have been answered by scientific research are no longer interesting as the subject of new empirical research. But the fact that a question has not been answered by scientific research does not necessarily make it interesting. There has to be some reasonable chance that the answer to the question will be something that we did not already know. But how can you assess this before actually collecting data? One approach is to try to think of reasons to expect different answers to the question—especially ones that seem to conflict with common sense. If you can think of reasons to expect at least two different answers, then the question might be interesting. If you can think of reasons to expect only one answer, then it probably is not. The question of whether women are more talkative than men is interesting because there are reasons to expect both answers. The existence of the stereotype itself suggests the answer could be yes, but the fact that women’s and men’s verbal abilities are fairly similar suggests the answer could be no. The question of whether people feel pain when you punch them in the jaw is not interesting because there is absolutely no reason to think that the answer could be anything other than a resounding yes.

A second important factor to consider when deciding if a research question is interesting is whether answering it will fill a gap in the research literature. Again, this means in part that the question has not already been answered by scientific research. But it also means that the question is in some sense a natural one for people who are familiar with the research literature. For example, the question of whether taking lecture notes by hand can help improve students’ exam performance would be likely to occur to anyone who was familiar with research on note taking and the ineffectiveness of shallow processing on learning.

A final factor to consider when deciding whether a research question is interesting is whether its answer has important practical implications. Again, the question of whether taking notes by hand improves learning has important implications for education, including classroom policies concerning technology use. The question of whether cell phone use impairs driving is interesting because it is relevant to the personal safety of everyone who travels by car and to the debate over whether cell phone use should be restricted by law.

Feasibility

A second important criterion for evaluating research questions is the feasibility  of successfully answering them. There are many factors that affect feasibility, including time, money, equipment and materials, technical knowledge and skill, and access to research participants. Clearly, researchers need to take these factors into account so that they do not waste time and effort pursuing research that they cannot complete successfully.

Looking through a sample of professional journals in psychology will reveal many studies that are complicated and difficult to carry out. These include longitudinal designs in which participants are tracked over many years, neuroimaging studies in which participants’ brain activity is measured while they carry out various mental tasks, and complex non-experimental studies involving several variables and complicated statistical analyses. Keep in mind, though, that such research tends to be carried out by teams of highly trained researchers whose work is often supported in part by government and private grants. Also, keep in mind that research does not have to be complicated or difficult to produce interesting and important results. Looking through a sample of professional journals will also reveal studies that are relatively simple and easy to carry out—perhaps involving a convenience sample of university students and a paper-and-pencil task.

A final point here is that it is generally good practice to use methods that have already been used successfully by other researchers. For example, if you want to manipulate people’s moods to make some of them happy, it would be a good idea to use one of the many approaches that have been used successfully by other researchers (e.g., paying them a compliment). This is good not only for the sake of feasibility—the approach is “tried and true”—but also because it provides greater continuity with previous research. This makes it easier to compare your results with those of other researchers and to understand the implications of their research for yours, and vice versa.

How interesting the question is to people generally or the scientific community. Three things need to be considered: Is the answer in doubt, fills a gap in research literature, and has important practical implications.

How likely is the research question going to be successfully answered depending on the amount of time, money, equipment and materials, technical knowledge and skill, and access to research participants there will be.

Research Methods in Psychology Copyright © 2019 by Rajiv S. Jhangiani, I-Chant A. Chiang, Carrie Cuttler, & Dana C. Leighton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Psychology Research Topics: 200+ Engaging Ideas

Psychology Research Topics

Psychology refers to a conceptual discipline that studies human behavior and mental processes. With clinical, social, controversial, biological, criminal, educational, and comparative, the possibilities of finding topic ideas are endless. But even with such a huge range of psychology research topics, most students still find it challenging to pick their perfect topic. Picking up your ideal psychology topic can be much more complex than the actual writing. It undoubtedly demands your full consideration and severe passion.

So, if you are a psychology student looking for some fascinating psychology research topics, you have come to the right spot. With our collection of more than 200 original psychology research questions and ideas, we solely aim to help you to loosen up some of your burdens. These issues are hot contentious, and research on each one of them can significantly boost your academic performance. Don’t hesitate to look into each of these psychology topics for a qualitative research paper .

Table of Contents

Meaning and Purpose of Psychology Papers

A student’s academic years are marked by a significant quantity of study, discipline, and hard work, which results in outstanding academic grades. Various experiments are used to support various topics in psychology’s hypotheses.

The main goal of psychology papers is to showcase your opinions and views about the subject. Knowing and employing experimental techniques to assess connection, significance, effect size, and other aspects are highly required if your psychology topics involve experiments.

It assesses the topic’s uniqueness, directs readers to reliable sources of support, and allows you to interact with readers through your writing. Your focus should be on areas you are enthusiastic about, subjects you enjoy arguing about, and on which you can lecture for hours.

Importance of Good Psychology Research Topics

Your study subject significantly impacts your academic marks. Regardless of whether you are writing a sociology research paper, seeking  sociology paper topics , or preparing for a psychological research paper looking for psychology topics. Research topics are certainly the most crucial component of any research paper,

In addition, let’s talk about a few other advantages of a solid psychological research topic:

  • It will be the point where you can either attract your readers with an attractive topic or push them away with a tedious psychology topic.
  • Writing on an exciting psychology topic will help you draft your paper faster as you will already know what resources you need and can quickly fill in the gaps.
  • A good topic will showcase your efforts and dedication to submitting your research paper. It will show your professors that you are dedicated to your studies rather than just fulfilling them for academic formality.
  • If you take it seriously, a research topic can teach you many great things. Thus, this is your opportunity to learn and understand new aspects of your field.

200+ Exciting Psychology Research Topic Ideas

And finally, after all the discussion, we are here at the most crucial section of this article: 200+ psychology research topics. Here we are presenting you these selected psychology research topics that charge you nothing but a considerable amount of hard work and concentration.

So, without delay, let’s start browsing these brilliant lists of excellent psychology research topics.

Survey Topics for Psychology Disorder

  • Challenges and treatment of the bipolar disorder
  • A multi- impulsive personality disorder: early diagnosis and treatment
  • Obesity: medical consequences and the complex journey
  • An analysis of the mental health and psychiatric workforce of nurses in the United States
  • A study of mixed method research in mental health nursing
  • Eating and sleeping disorders among pregnant women
  • The epidemiology of Post-traumatic stress disorder of disaster victims
  • The diagnosis of multiple personality disorder: an overview
  • Behavioral modeling for mental health
  • Suicide and Schizophrenia: a systematic review on risk factors and prevention
  • Adolescent mental health in the United States: a 2022 report
  • Adolescent psychiatry among college students
  • Causes and challenges of obesity and depression among the LGBTQ community
  • A comparative review on obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • A detailed study of Generalized anxiety disorder among health workers during a covid-19 pandemic

Controversial Psychology Topics

  • Considering the ethical implications of social media in the workplace
  • A conceptual and methodological analysis of individuals in the LGTBQ community
  • The interpretation and impact of the Milgram experiment
  • Why do people refer to homosexuality as a psychological disorder?
  • The effect of childhood trauma on later psychological adjustments
  • Ethical consideration of social networking with the clients
  • Anxiety related to homosexuality: A misunderstood form of OCD
  • Social networking sites among teenagers: a boon or a curse?
  • The consequences of family violence on a child’s mental health
  • Assessment of behavioral consequences of individuals toward homosexuality
  • Male and female violence among relationships: Is it or is it not about gender?
  • The controversy of domestic violence in intimate relationships
  • Stanford prison experiment: genesis, transformations, and consequences
  • The role of parenting in improving or destroying children’s mental health
  • Homosexuality and psychological preferences

Human Cognition Topics for Psychology Research Paper

  • Academic intelligence and its relationship with general intelligence
  • Assessment and modification of cognitive skills test for criminals
  • Factors that made us withdraw beliefs from vivid autobiographical memories
  • A systematic study on why humans encounter memories
  • Modern psychometrics and its impacts on youth
  • The effects of color psychology: a critical review
  • Patterns and processes of memory loss
  • Understanding the implications of money: the power of money
  • Evaluation of social solving abilities in Schizophrenia
  • The science of memory and concentration: how can we improve?
  • A detailed analysis of color psychology in cognitive development studies
  • Relationship between judgment and decision making
  • Speech disorders and their impact on a student’s life
  • Factors affecting the decision-making capability of young individuals
  • Understanding the science of attention span in children
  • The myth and realities of repressed memories
  • Understanding the linguistic and logical intelligence among millennial
  • Determining the key aspects of emotional intelligence among women
  • A comparative study of emotional intelligence among men and women

Heredity and Psychology Research Topics

  • A comparative relationship between health and heredity
  • A detailed study on genetic psychology and epistemology
  • Phenylketonuria in children and mother
  • Pathophysiology and treatment of Canavan diseases
  • The science and psychology of gene information
  • Role of behavior genetics in psychology
  • The relationship between Anatomy, physiology, and psychology
  • A conceptual study on Phenylketonuria and developmental
  • Genetics evaluation and factors that influence behavioral traits
  • Behavioral genetics in the current century
  • Symptoms, causes, and treatments of Phenylketonuria
  • The clinical course on The impact of family issues on children and families
  • Mental health and gender dysphoria in childhood
  • Role of parenting style on a child’s behavior
  • Parenting challenges in families of children with autism
  • Relationship between parenting and child psychology
  • Causes and impacts of gender dysphoria among teenagers
  • Challenges and issues of parenting for preteens and tweens
  • Importance of student psychological counseling
  • Psychology for depressed teenagers
  • Role of a positive environment and parenting on child’s growth
  • Long-term implications of divorce on a child’s mental health
  • Narrative analysis of child’s experiences
  • An overview of narrative and personal memories of children
  • A detailed study on the decision analysis and decision-making among adolescents
  • Role of a parenting style in influencing a person’s professional specialty
  • A detailed study on the psychological effects of adoption among children
  • Unraveling child abuse
  • Role of everyday memory and emotional events in a child’s growth
  • Common mental heal issues among young people
  • Role of parental negligence in causing child obesity
  • Canavan disease
  • Relationship between heredity and behavioral genetics
  • Psychology without heredity

Read Also – Political Science Research Paper Topics

Political Psychology Research Paper Topics

  • Introduction to political psychology
  • The effects of electoral systems on Women’s representatives in post-communist states
  • A comparative study between the impact of nationalism and globalization on human minds
  • Relationship between power and morality
  • The psychology of totalitarianism
  • A comparative study between politics and religion
  • The psychological effect of electoral systems in founding elections
  • Gender rights, national security, and counter-terrorism
  • Totalitarianism and individualism in psychology
  • An introduction to political philosophy
  • How political beliefs are moralized by emotional contexts
  • Explorations in the history of political psychology
  • A handbook on the psychology of politics
  • The psychology of dictatorship
  • Understanding religion and politics in the United States
  • Studying the psychology of politics in wartime
  • Psychological Advantages and disadvantages of totalitarianism
  • Defining and measuring democracy from a psychological perspective

Cultural Psychology Research Paper Topic ideas

  • Cultural psychology: who needs it and why?
  • The psychology of death and bereavement
  • Psychology, culture, education, and science
  • Reveling perception of motherhood across different nations and cultures
  • Measurement of applied cross-cultural psychology
  • Use of social media in developing cultures
  • The influence of cultures on internet buying behaviors
  • Cultural differences in humor
  • The nature of humor in human cross-culture commodities
  • The perception of beauty in this modern age
  • Influence of culture on multinational agencies
  • Identifying cultural myths of motherhood
  • Education and culture: the philosophical relationship among the both
  • How different cultures cope with death
  • Death anxiety: dealing with death across different cultures

Interesting Psychology Topics on Covid19 Outbreak

  • The psychology of the Covid-19 Pandemic
  • Why were pregnant women susceptible to Covid-19?
  • The impact of the Covid outbreak on psychology among the students
  • Psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • What was the effect of Covid-19 on our mental health
  • The effect of lockdown from an environmental, psychological, and economic perspective
  • Health psychology in the pandemic
  • Analysis of psychological changes in pregnant women towards Covid-19
  • Social media during the pandemic
  • The influence of Covid-19 on human psychology

Exciting Psychology Topics  About Dreams

  • The physiology and philosophy of dreams
  • The influence of dreams on human psychology
  • The psychology of dreams
  • The connection between dreams and your soul
  • The psychology of daydreaming
  • A detailed study on the health benefits of dreams
  • The role of dreams and ambition in one’s life
  • Virtual realities, consciousness, and dreams
  • What do dreams reveal?
  • The epidemiology of disturbing nightmares
  • The impact of nightmares on our mental health
  • What is the meaning of violent dreams?
  • Frequency and content of dreams associated with traumas

Influencing Educational Psychology Topics

  • A descriptive study on educational psychology
  • The past, present, and future of educational psychology
  • Qualitative and quantitative methods in educational psychology
  • Role of bullying on low self-esteem
  • Possible challenges associated with teaching dyslexic children
  • The part and principles of educational psychology
  • The significance and role of cognitive development
  • Principles of educational psychology
  • Part of parenthood in developing inner motivation in teenagers
  • The study of ethics and law psychologists

Sports Psychology Research Questions and Topics

  • How can students develop their inner motivation for achieving success
  • Effect of low- confidence among athletes
  • Current trends in the world of sports psychology
  • Role of sports psychology in building athletes
  • The role and challenges of sports coaches in developing confidence
  • Uncommon sports psychology
  • The current trends and evolution in sports psychology
  • How does sportsperson control their emotions in sports?
  • Importance of discipline for athletes
  • New perspectives of modern sports psychology

Criminal Psychology Research Topics

  • The role and significance of criminal psychology
  • Why is it harmful to imprison adult and juvenile offenders together?
  • The background stories of juvenile murders
  • Serial killers as the victim of childhood traumas
  • How can socioeconomic status lead to crime?
  • Profiler’s duties
  • Forensic psychology
  • Significance of forensic psychologists
  • Mass shootings in America: psychological explanation
  • Psychological explanations of domestic violence among women
  • Psychological consequences of domestic violence neglection
  • Genetic factors in the etiology of criminal psychology
  • Types of crimes among women and their atavistic origin
  • The psychology behind the lie detector
  • An introduction to criminal psychology
  • Strain theory: a comparative analysis
  • The psychology of criminal conduct
  • Genetic background of extreme violent behavior
  • Alienation and social learning in prison
  • Relationship between mental disorder and criminal behavior

Forensic Psychology Research Topics for Grade A+

  • The research and application of forensic psychology
  • The dangers of untrustworthy eyewitness testimony
  • Serial murderers: facts and misconceptions
  • Copyright crimes explanatory psychology
  • Homegrown terror groups
  • The legitimacy and reliability of eyewitness testimony
  • A qualitative study to investigate male domestic violence victims: why does society neglect it?

Final Words!!

We know how challenging it is to narrow your ideal psychology research topics. However, we hope that you found this post informative and valuable. You will undoubtedly need to exercise some patience and consider the above mentioned topics.

But, if you are still facing problems, talk to your professors about them. Some students find their professors to be annoying and that they don’t want to help. But know that they are always your best supporters. With their direction, nothing can stop you from receiving a great score. So whether you need guidance with your research paper, thesis, dissertation,  research proposal writing , or any other assignment, you can always incline them for help.

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Survey Research

Shortly after the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, in September of 2001, researcher Jennifer Lerner and her colleagues conducted an Internet-based survey of nearly 2,000 American teens and adults ranging in age from 13 to 88 (Lerner, Gonzalez, Small, & Fischhoff, 2003) [1] . They asked participants about their reactions to the attacks and for their judgments of various terrorism-related and other risks. Among the results were that the participants tended to overestimate most risks, that females did so more than males, and that there were no differences between teens and adults. The most interesting result, however, had to do with the fact that some participants were “primed” to feel anger by asking them what made them angry about the attacks and by presenting them with a photograph and audio clip intended to evoke anger. Others were primed to feel fear by asking them what made them fearful about the attacks and by presenting them with a photograph and audio clip intended to evoke fear. As the researchers hypothesized, the participants who were primed to feel anger perceived less risk than the participants who had been primed to feel fear—showing how risk perceptions are strongly tied to specific emotions.

The study by Lerner and her colleagues is an example of survey research in psychology—the topic of this chapter. We begin with an overview of survey research, including its definition, some history, and a bit about who conducts it and why. We then look at survey responding as a psychological process and the implications of this for constructing good survey questionnaires. Finally, we consider some issues related to actually conducting survey research, including sampling the participants and collecting the data.

  • Lerner, J. S., Gonzalez, R. M., Small, D. A., & Fischhoff, B. (2003). Effects of fear and anger on perceived risks of terrorism: A national field experiment. Psychological Science, 14 , 144–150. ↵

Research Methods in Psychology Copyright © 2019 by Rajiv S. Jhangiani, I-Chant A. Chiang, Carrie Cuttler, & Dana C. Leighton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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10 Positive Psychology Surveys, Measures, and Questionnaires

positive psychology tests and surveys

Various surveys and measures have been developed to gain insight into these experiences, such as life satisfaction scales , gratitude scales , and ways to measure flow , just to name a few.

This article presents a collection of useful positive psychology surveys that deviate from some of the scales covered in our other articles.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

Why do we need scales, a note on scoring, 5 measures of positive attitudes and beliefs, 3 measures of positive behaviors, 2 flourishing scales, a note on reliability and validity, a take-home message.

Before we dive in, a quick note on terminology:

Whether a set of questions is referred to as an instrument, measure, scale, inventory, questionnaire, or survey, all of these terms ultimately mean the same thing: a list of questions or statements (also known as items) designed to assess a particular psychological concept (sometimes referred to as a construct).

When it comes to assessing people’s psychological experiences, scientists primarily get their information by asking questions administered through surveys.

Let’s take a moment to consider why.

Imagine you are a scientist who wants to understand and quantify a person’s overall life satisfaction. That way, you can compare life satisfaction scores between different people. How would you go about getting this information?

One option would be to follow your participants around for a few days, jotting down observations about their daily interactions, behaviors, and the amount of time they spend with a smile on their face.

Obviously, this would be an imprecise approach (not to mention time-consuming), as you cannot accurately quantify life satisfaction based on the amount of time a person spends smiling.

An alternative approach would be to administer some kind of test in the same way that one might administer a test to assess mathematical ability, perhaps on a fancy high-powered computer.

But again, this is a little far-fetched. What kind of ‘test’ could assess something as subjective as life satisfaction?

Finally, you might be able to hook your participants up to an expensive machine in a laboratory and pin life satisfaction down to a single physiological indicator, such as cortisol or sweat conductivity.

While some psychological experiences do have physiological parallels, such as when anxiety is assessed via cortisol, many do not (Bohnen et al., 1991). For more on the connections between physical and psychological experiences, read our article on the Mind-Body Connection . It would be impossible to link a construct as broad and multi-faceted as life satisfaction to a single physiological indicator.

When assessing complex and layered constructs like life satisfaction, validated questionnaires are a great alternative.

The exception might be if you wanted to identify life satisfaction drivers without any preexisting theory to drive your hypothesis. In such a case, it might be appropriate to use a grounded theory approach, whereby you interview a small number of participants to obtain rich, qualitative information. That way, you could code the participants’ responses for themes.

A note on scoring

First, check the scale for any reverse-scored items. These are often marked by an asterisk (*) or a bracketed (r). For these, you will need to flip your score to the reverse point on the scale.

For example, imagine you are responding to a scale assessing subjective happiness, and one of the items asks you to rate your agreement to the following statement on a scale where 1 equals “strongly disagree” and 5 equals “strongly agree”:

“ I seldom feel cheerful .”

Obviously, this item is measuring the reverse of happiness. If you respond to 2 (disagree) for scoring, change this to a value of 4. Now do the same for all of your reverse-scored items.

Next, sum all the scores and divide the result by the total number of items in the scale. You should then be left with a single value that falls within the minimum and maximum anchor points of the scale. That is, if you were responding to items on a scale ranging from 1 to 5, your final total should not be less than 1 or exceed 5.

The number you will be left with represents your score on that construct. For instance, after performing the above calculations, you may end up with a final score of 4.5 for the subjective happiness measure, suggesting that you are substantially above the midpoint (3) and probably a very happy person.

Also, keep in mind that some of the scales included here are made up of subscales. This means that the measured construct is theorized to be made up of two or more sub facets, which need to be measured separately using different groupings of items.

In these instances, you must calculate scores separately for each subscale, sum the totals for the subscales, and divide by the total number of subscales for a final score on the overall construct.

As an example, we can consider the Hare Self-Esteem Scale (Hare, 1975). This scale, which has 30 items in total, comprises three subscales assessing adolescents’ self-esteem in relation to school, peers, and the home environment. Each of these scales contains 10 items.

Therefore, to get an overall score for an adolescent’s self-esteem, you would sum the total scores for each of the 10 items and divide the three results by 10. Then, you would sum the total score for the three subscales and divide by 3.

As you can imagine, doing these calculations separately for each subscale before arriving at a total for the composite construct is particularly important when subscales contain unequal numbers of items.

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Now, let’s dive into the measures:

1. The Adult Hope Scale (AHS)

Beginning with attitudes and beliefs, we’ll start with the Adult Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991) by considering the attitude of hope.

Hope can be defined as:

a positive motivational state that is based on an interactively derived sense of successful (a) agency (goal-directed energy), and (b) pathways (planning to meet goals).

Snyder et al., 1991, p. 287

The AHS is designed to measure hope according to the various sub facets of goal-directed behavior. The scale is related to a range of positive outcomes, including optimism, self-efficacy, and self-esteem (Snyder et al., 1991).

This measure has 12 items assessing agency and pathways to goal achievement. Each subscale contains four items, and there are four distractor items.

The distractor items are designed to disguise the critical items’ themes, which may otherwise make the purpose of the scale too obvious and motivate biased responding.

Likewise, when administering the scale, it is often referred to as ‘The Future Scale’ to help disguise hope’s critical theme.

Example items from each of the subscales are as follows:

All items are presented on eight-point scales, where 1 equals “definitely false” and 8 equals “definitely true.”

A copy of the full scale can be accessed from the Penn State Positive Psychology Center’s website.

2. Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale

Thorson and Powell (1993, p. 13) define a sense of humor as:

a way of looking at the world; it is a style, a means of self-protection and getting along.

Given that humor is a complex topic with many sub-facets, the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale is made up of four subscales.

These subscales assess general humor (humor production), coping and adaptive humor, humor appreciation, and attitudes toward humor, totaling 29 items (with a shorter 24-item version also available).

All items are presented on five-point scales, where 1 equals “strongly disagree,” and 5 equals “strongly agree.”

A copy of the full scale can be found in the original article, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology .

3. The Kindness Scale

Kindness can be defined in line with Kohlberg’s (1984) four stages of moral development. According to this theory, values and ethics are developed throughout interactions between people and their environment so too do attitudes regarding the necessity of kindness.

Comunian’s (1998) 20-item scale captures attitudes toward kindness throughout these four stages using four subscales comprising five items each.

Example items from the scale and definitions for each of the corresponding stages in Kohlberg’s theory are as follows:

All items are presented on four-point scales, where 1 equals “definitely false” and 4 equals “definitely true.”

A copy of the full scale can be found in the original article, published in the journal Psychological Reports .

4. Spiritual Growth Scale

Next, let’s turn to spiritual growth.

Spiritual growth can be defined as:

Self-initiated actions and perceptions that serve to maintain or enhance the level of wellness, self-actualization, and fulfillment of the individual’s spiritual growth.

Pinar et al., 2009, p. 184

One widely used scale measuring spiritual growth comes from the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (Pinar et al., 2009). This scale is commonly used among healthcare workers.

This measure consists of six subscales assessing the degree to which adults engage in health-promoting behaviors, and one of the subscales pertains to spiritual growth.

The items in this subscale ask that respondents indicate the extent to which they engage in various behaviors/experiences, with examples being as follows:

  • I feel I am growing and changing in positive ways
  • I believe that my life has purpose
  • I look forward to the future

All items are presented on 4-point scales, where 1 equals ‘never’ and 4 equals ‘routinely.’

A full copy of the scale and scoring information can be obtained from the University of Michigan’s research repository.

5. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ)

Meaning in life can be defined as:

…the sense made of, and significance felt regarding, the nature of one’s being and existence.

Steger et al., 2006, p. 81

In line with this definition, the widely used MLQ (Steger et al., 2006) was developed to help people understand perceptions about their lives pertaining to happiness and fulfillment.

The 10-item measure comprises two subscales assessing the presence of meaning in one’s life and the search for meaning in life .

Example items from the scale are as follows:

All items are presented on seven-point scales, where 1 equals “absolutely untrue” and 7 equals “absolutely true.”

The full scale is freely available in English for educational, therapeutic, and research purposes. It is also available from Michael Steger’s website in a range of additional languages .

Scales and Questionnaires

1. Self-reflection

Turning to behaviors now, we can consider the useful practice of self-reflection , which is defined as:

an active and intentional process of becoming conscious of and understanding experiences in order to learn from them for the future.

(Lengelle et al., 2016, p. 100)

A popular measure for assessing a person’s tendency toward self-reflection is Trapnell and Campbell’s (1999) Private Self-Consciousness Scale, which features self-reflection as a 12-item subscale.

  • I love exploring my “inner” self.
  • I often love to look at my life in philosophical ways.
  • I love to meditate on the nature and meaning of things.

A copy of the full scale can be found in the original article, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology .

2. Revised Self-Leadership Questionnaire (RSLQ)

Next, we’ll take a look at the concept of self-leadership.

Self-leadership can be defined as:

a process through which people influence themselves to achieve the self-direction and self-motivation necessary to behave and perform in desirable ways.

Houghton and Neck, 2002, p. 672

Self-leadership combines self-regulation , self-control, and self-management with cognitive strategies, allowing people to lead themselves to desired outcomes.

To capture this, Houghton and Neck (2002) developed and validated the RSLQ. This scale comprises nine subscales, which can be further aggregated up to three dimensions that tap into the various dimensions of self-leadership. In total, the scale is made up of 35 items.

Example items from each of the subscales and dimensions are as follows:

3. The Self-Monitoring Scale

Finally, we’ll look at self-monitoring, which is defined as:

the extent to which you consciously employ impression management strategies in social interactions.

Sussman and Sproull, 1999, p. 159

For example, someone effective at self-monitoring may be better at knowing when to laugh or appear somber in social interactions based on the behavior and nonverbal cues of those around them.

To assess self-monitoring, Snyder (1974) developed the Self-Monitoring Scale, which comprises 25 statements.

  • I find it hard to imitate the behavior of other people (reverse-scored).
  • I guess I put on a show to entertain other people.
  • I’m not always the person I appear to be.

Unlike the other scales discussed above, this one is scored using a true-or-false format.

The respondent’s answers are then compared against a scoring key where every response that matches the key is assigned a score of 1. These values are then summed to produce a final score.

A copy of the full scale and scoring key can be found on the Cabrillo College website.

What is self-monitoring – Productivity Guy

Since flourishing is one of the most important aspects of positive psychology, no list of scales would be complete without including methods with which to measure flourishing.

The Mental Health Continuum

The mental health continuum (Keyes, 2002, 2007) attempts to assess individuals’ mental health along positive psychology parameters such as subjective wellbeing, positive functioning in life, and positive feelings. To formalize this examination, Keyes created the Mental Health Continuum assessment, which is available in long and short forms.

The Mental Health Continuum long form (MHC-LF) consists of 40 items measuring emotional wellbeing, Ryff’s (1989) model of psychological wellbeing, and Keyes’s (1998) model of social wellbeing (Keyes, 2009).

Developed from the MHC-LF, the short form of the Mental Health Continuum (MHC-SF) consists of the 14 most representative items for each element of wellbeing included in the original assessment (Keyes, 2009). The MHC-SF has been validated for individuals 12 years and older.

Flourishing Scale

While there are several scales that can measure the extent to which an individual is flourishing, one of the most straightforward and widely used is Diener et al.’s (2009) Flourishing Scale .

Consisting of only eight items, the Flourishing Scale asks individuals to be introspective and ask themselves, among other things, whether they are leading a life of purpose, have supportive social relationships, and feel optimistic about their future.

psychology research survey ideas

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Before you commit to using any scale in research or practice, it is important to be aware of its psychometric properties–sometimes known as its reliability and validity.

Usually, researchers developing scales such as these above will subject the scales to evidence reliability and validity, including these results in their papers or websites.

While there are too many different types of reliability and validity to cover here, here are some useful resources to help you gain a basic understanding of scale psychometrics. With these, you can make the best choice about which scale suits your needs:

  • Reliability and Validity in a Nutshell by Bannigan and Watson (2009)
  • Scale Development: Theory and Applications by Robert DeVellis (2016)
  • A Review of Scale Development Practices in the Study of Organizations by Hinkin (1995)

Whether it’s to compare people’s propensities for cracking jokes or identify the sense of meaning in someone’s life, one thing is clear:

Psychologists (and scholars, and practitioners…) would be lost without their surveys and questionnaires.

This article provided just a small assortment of lesser known as well as widely used scales, all developed by scientists and used in research.

Try some for yourself to see if any would be useful for your applications in practice. And if you do, let us know what you thought of them in the comments section below.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises .

  • Bannigan, K., & Watson, R. (2009). Reliability and validity in a nutshell. Journal of Clinical Nursing , 18(23), 3237-3243.
  • Bohnen, N., Nicolson, N., Sulon, J., & Jolles, J. (1991). Coping style, trait anxiety and cortisol reactivity during mental stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research , 35(2-3), 141-147.
  • Comunian, A. L. (1998). The Kindness Scale. Psychological Reports , 83 (Suppl 3), 1351-1361.
  • DeVellis, R. F. (2016). Scale development: Theory and applications (vol. 26) . Thousand Oak, CA: Sage.
  • Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2009). New measures of well-being: Flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research , 39, 247-266.
  • Hare, B. R. (1975). The Hare Area-Specific Self-Esteem Scale . Unpublished manuscript. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
  • Hinkin, T. R. (1995). A review of scale development practices in the study of organizations. Journal of Management , 21(5), 967-988.
  • Houghton, J. D., & Neck, C. P. (2002). The Revised Self‐Leadership Questionnaire. Journal of Managerial Psychology , 17(8), 672-691.
  • Keyes, C. L. M. (1998). Social well–being. Social Psychology Quarterly , 61, 121–140.
  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior , 43, 207–222.
  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2007). Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing: A complementary strategy for improving national mental health. American Psychologist , 62, 95−108.
  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2009). Brief description of the mental health continuum short form (MHC-SF) . Author. Retrieved from https://peplab.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/18901/2018/11/MHC-SFoverview.pdf.
  • Kohlberg. L. (1984). The psychology of moral development (vol. 2) . New York, NY: Harper & Row.
  • Lengelle, R., Luken, T., & Meijers, F. (2016). Is self-reflection dangerous? Preventing rumination in career learning. Australian Journal of Career Development , 25(3), 99-109.
  • Pinar, R., Celik, R., & Bahcecik, N. (2009). Reliability and construct validity of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II in an adult Turkish population. Nursing Research , 58(3), 184-193.
  • Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well–being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081.
  • Sussman, S. W., & Sproull, L. (1999). Straight talk: Delivering bad news through electronic communication. Information Systems Research , 10(2), 150-166.
  • Thorson, J. A., & Powell, F. C. (1993). Development and validation of a multidimensional sense of humor scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology , 49(1), 13-23.
  • Trapnell, P. D., & Campbell, J. D. (1999). Private self-consciousness and the five-factor model of personality: distinguishing rumination from reflection. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 76(2), 284-304.
  • Snyder, M. (1974). Self-monitoring of expressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 30(4), 526-537.
  • Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., Yoshinobu, L., Gibb, J., Langelle, C., & Harney, P. (1991). The will and the ways: development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 60(4), 570-585.
  • Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology , 53(1), 80-93.

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Such an informative and interesting article, thank you for sharing it with us! – Love from UTS Australia.

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As a Psychology major, this is very helpful in creating our Thesis Proposal !

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can you please send me your research paper as i am making questionnaire on career positivity scale. it can be helpful to me i am a full time student of BBA at Comsats University

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Excellent overview, thanks very much for taking the time to write this! Andrew Proulx MD

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Ideas for Psychology Experiments

Inspiration for psychology experiments is all around if you know where to look

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

psychology research survey ideas

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

psychology research survey ideas

Psychology experiments can run the gamut from simple to complex. Students are often expected to design—and sometimes perform—their own experiments, but finding great experiment ideas can be a little challenging. Fortunately, inspiration is all around if you know where to look—from your textbooks to the questions that you have about your own life.

Always discuss your idea with your instructor before beginning your experiment—particularly if your research involves human participants. (Note: You'll probably need to submit a proposal and get approval from your school's institutional review board.)

At a Glance

If you are looking for an idea for psychology experiments, start your search early and make sure you have the time you need. Doing background research, choosing an experimental design, and actually performing your experiment can be quite the process. Keep reading to find some great psychology experiment ideas that can serve as inspiration. You can then find ways to adapt these ideas for your own assignments.

15 Ideas for Psychology Experiments

Most of these experiments can be performed easily at home or at school. That said, you will need to find out if you have to get approval from your teacher or from an institutional review board before getting started.

The following are some questions you could attempt to answer as part of a psychological experiment:

  • Are people really able to "feel like someone is watching" them ? Have some participants sit alone in a room and have them note when they feel as if they are being watched. Then, see how those results line up to your own record of when participants were actually being observed.
  • Can certain colors improve learning ? You may have heard teachers or students claim that printing text on green paper helps students read better, or that yellow paper helps students perform better on math exams. Design an experiment to see whether using a specific color of paper helps improve students' scores on math exams.
  • Can color cause physiological reactions ? Perform an experiment to determine whether certain colors cause a participant's blood pressure to rise or fall.
  • Can different types of music lead to different physiological responses ? Measure the heart rates of participants in response to various types of music to see if there is a difference.
  • Can smelling one thing while tasting another impact a person's ability to detect what the food really is ? Have participants engage in a blind taste test where the smell and the food they eat are mismatched. Ask the participants to identify the food they are trying and note how accurate their guesses are.
  • Could a person's taste in music offer hints about their personality ? Previous research has suggested that people who prefer certain styles of music tend to exhibit similar  personality traits. Administer a personality assessment and survey participants about their musical preferences and examine your results.
  • Do action films cause people to eat more popcorn and candy during a movie ? Have one group of participants watch an action movie, and another group watch a slow-paced drama. Compare how much popcorn is consumed by each group.
  • Do colors really impact moods ? Investigate to see if the  color blue makes people feel calm, or if the color red leaves them feeling agitated.
  • Do creative people see  optical illusions  differently than more analytical people ? Have participants complete an assessment to measure their level of creative thinking. Then ask participants to look at optical illusions and note what they perceive.
  • Do people rate individuals with perfectly symmetrical faces as more beautiful than those with asymmetrical faces ? Create sample cards with both symmetrical and asymmetrical faces and ask participants to rate the attractiveness of each picture.
  • Do people who use social media exhibit signs of addiction ? Have participants complete an assessment of their social media habits, then have them complete an addiction questionnaire.
  • Does eating breakfast help students do better in school ? According to some, eating breakfast can have a beneficial influence on school performance. For your experiment, you could compare the test scores of students who ate breakfast to those who did not.
  • Does sex influence short-term memory ? You could arrange an experiment that tests whether men or women are better at remembering specific types of information.
  • How likely are people to conform in groups ? Try this experiment to see what percentage of people are likely to conform . Enlist confederates to give the wrong response to a math problem and then see if the participants defy or conform to the rest of the group.
  • How much information can people store in short-term memory ? Have participants study a word list and then test their memory. Try different versions of the experiment to see which memorization strategies, like chunking or mnemonics, are most effective.

Once you have an idea, the next step is to learn more about  how to conduct a psychology experiment .

Psychology Experiments on Your Interests

If none of the ideas in the list above grabbed your attention, there are other ways to find inspiration for your psychology experiments.

How do you come up with good psychology experiments? One of the most effective approaches is to look at the various problems, situations, and questions that you are facing in your own life.

You can also think about the things that interest you. Start by considering the topics you've studied in class thus far that have really piqued your interest. Then, whittle the list down to two or three major areas within psychology that seem to interest you the most.

From there, make a list of questions you have related to the topic. Any of these questions could potentially serve as an experiment idea.

Use Textbooks for Inspiration for Psychology Experiments

Your psychology textbooks are another excellent source you can turn to for experiment ideas. Choose the chapters or sections that you find particularly interesting—perhaps it's a chapter on  social psychology  or a section on child development.

Start by browsing the experiments discussed in your book. Then think of how you could devise an experiment related to some of the questions your text asks. The reference section at the back of your textbook can also serve as a great source for additional reference material.

Discuss Psychology Experiments with Other Students

It can be helpful to brainstorm with your classmates to gather outside ideas and perspectives. Get together with a group of students and make a list of interesting ideas, subjects, or questions you have.

The information from your brainstorming session can serve as a basis for your experiment topic. It's also a great way to get feedback on your own ideas and to determine if they are worth exploring in greater depth.

Study Classic Psychology Experiments

Taking a closer look at a classic psychology experiment can be an excellent way to trigger some unique and thoughtful ideas of your own. To start, you could try conducting your own version of a famous experiment or even updating a classic experiment to assess a slightly different question.

Famous Psychology Experiments

Examples of famous psychology experiments that might be a source of further questions you'd like to explore include:

  • Marshmallow test experiments
  • Little Albert experiment
  • Hawthorne effect experiments
  • Bystander effect experiments
  • Robbers Cave experiments
  • Halo effect experiments
  • Piano stairs experiment
  • Cognitive dissonance experiments
  • False memory experiments

You might not be able to replicate an experiment exactly (lots of classic psychology experiments have ethical issues that would preclude conducting them today), but you can use well-known studies as a basis for inspiration.

Review the Literature on Psychology Experiments

If you have a general idea about what topic you'd like to experiment, you might want to spend a little time doing a brief literature review before you start designing. In other words, do your homework before you invest too much time on an idea.

Visit your university library and find some of the best books and articles that cover the particular topic you are interested in. What research has already been done in this area? Are there any major questions that still need to be answered? What were the findings of previous psychology experiments?

Tackling this step early will make the later process of writing the introduction  to your  lab report  or research paper much easier.

Ask Your Instructor About Ideas for Psychology Experiments

If you have made a good effort to come up with an idea on your own but you're still feeling stumped, it might help to talk to your instructor. Ask for pointers on finding a good experiment topic for the specific assignment. You can also ask them to suggest some other ways you could generate ideas or inspiration.

While it can feel intimidating to ask for help, your instructor should be more than happy to provide some guidance. Plus, they might offer insights that you wouldn't have gathered on your own. Your instructor probably has lots of ideas for psychology experiments that would be worth exploring.

If you need to design or conduct psychology experiments, there are plenty of great ideas (both old and new) for you to explore. Consider an idea from the list above or turn some of your own questions about the human mind and behavior into an experiment.

Before you dive in, make sure that you are observing the guidelines provided by your instructor and always obtain the appropriate permission before conducting any research with human or animal subjects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Finding a topic for a research paper is much like finding an idea for an experiment. Start by considering your own interests, or browse though your textbooks for inspiration. You might also consider looking at online news stories or journal articles as a source of inspiration.

Three of the most classic social psychology experiments are:

  • The Asch Conformity Experiment : This experiment involved seeing if people would conform to group pressure when rating the length of a line.
  • The Milgram Obedience Experiment : This experiment involved ordering participants to deliver what they thought was a painful shock to another person.
  • The Stanford Prison Experiment : This experiment involved students replicating a prison environment to see how it would affect participant behavior. 

Jakovljević T, Janković MM, Savić AM, et al. The effect of colour on reading performance in children, measured by a sensor hub: From the perspective of gender .  PLoS One . 2021;16(6):e0252622. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0252622

Greenberg DM, et al. Musical preferences are linked to cognitive styles . PLoS One. 2015;10(7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0131151

Kurt S, Osueke KK. The effects of color on the moods of college students . Sage. 2014;4(1). doi:10.1177/2158244014525423

Hartline-Grafton H, Levin M. Breakfast and School-Related Outcomes in Children and Adolescents in the US: A Literature Review and its Implications for School Nutrition Policy .  Curr Nutr Rep . 2022;11(4):653-664. doi:10.1007/s13668-022-00434-z

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Explore Psychology

Psychology Experiment Ideas

Categories Psychology Education

Psychology Experiment Ideas

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Quick Ideas | Experiment Ideas | Designing Your Experiment | Types of Research

If you are taking a psychology class, you might at some point be asked to design an imaginary experiment or perform an experiment or study. The idea you ultimately choose to use for your psychology experiment may depend upon the number of participants you can find, the time constraints of your project, and limitations in the materials available to you.

Consider these factors before deciding which psychology experiment idea might work for your project.

This article discusses some ideas you might try if you need to perform a psychology experiment or study.

Table of Contents

A Quick List of Experiment Ideas

If you are looking for a quick experiment idea that would be easy to tackle, the following might be some research questions you want to explore:

  • How many items can people hold in short-term memory ?
  • Are people with a Type A personality more stressed than those with a Type B personality?
  • Does listening to upbeat music increase heart rate?
  • Are men or women better at detecting emotions ?
  • Are women or men more likely to experience imposter syndrome ?
  • Will students conform if others in the group all share an opinion that is different from their own?
  • Do people’s heartbeat or breathing rates change in response to certain colors?
  • How much do people rely on nonverbal communication to convey information in a conversation?
  • Do people who score higher on measures of emotional intelligence also score higher on measures of overall well-being?
  • Do more successful people share certain personality traits ?

Most of the following ideas are easily conducted with a small group of participants, who may likely be your classmates. Some of the psychology experiment or study ideas you might want to explore:

Sleep and Short-Term Memory

Does sleep deprivation have an impact on short-term memory ?

Ask participants how much sleep they got the night before and then conduct a task to test short-term memory for items on a list.

Social Media and Mental Health

Is social media usage linked to anxiety or depression?

Ask participants about how many hours a week they use social media sites and then have them complete a depression and anxiety assessment.

Procrastination and Stress

How does procrastination impact student stress levels?

Ask participants about how frequently they procrastinate on their homework and then have them complete an assessment looking at their current stress levels.

Caffeine and Cognition

How does caffeine impact performance on a Stroop test?

In the Stroop test , participants are asked to tell the color of a word, rather than just reading the word. Have a control group consume no caffeine and then complete a Stroop test, and then have an experimental group consume caffeine before completing the same test. Compare results.

Color and Memory

Does the color of text have any impact on memory?

Randomly assign participants to two groups. Have one group memorize words written in black ink for two minutes. Have the second group memorize the same words for the same amount of time, but instead written in red ink. Compare the results.

Weight Bias

How does weight bias influence how people are judged by others?

Find pictures of models in a magazine who look similar, including similar hair and clothing, but who differ in terms of weight. Have participants look at the two models and then ask them to identify which one they think is smarter, wealthier, kinder, and healthier.

Assess how each model was rated and how weight bias may have influenced how they were described by participants.

Music and Exercise

Does music have an effect on how hard people work out?

Have people listen to different styles of music while jogging on a treadmill and measure their walking speed, heart rate, and workout length.

The Halo Effect

How does the Halo Effect influence how people see others?

Show participants pictures of people and ask them to rate the photos in terms of how attractive, kind, intelligent, helpful, and successful the people in the images are.

How does the attractiveness of the person in the photo correlate to how participants rate other qualities? Are attractive people more likely to be perceived as kind, funny, and intelligent?

Eyewitness Testimony

How reliable is eyewitness testimony?

Have participants view video footage of a car crash. Ask some participants to describe how fast the cars were going when they “hit into” each other. Ask other participants to describe how fast the cars were going when they “smashed into” each other.

Give the participants a memory test a few days later and ask them to recall if they saw any broken glass at the accident scene. Compare to see if those in the “smashed into” condition were more likely to report seeing broken glass than those in the “hit into” group.

The experiment is a good illustration of how easily false memories can be triggered.

Simple Psychology Experiment Ideas

If you are looking for a relatively simple psychology experiment idea, here are a few options you might consider.

The Stroop Effect

This classic experiment involves presenting participants with words printed in different colors and asking them to name the color of the ink rather than read the word. Students can manipulate the congruency of the word and the color to test the Stroop effect.

Memory Recall

Students can design a simple experiment to test memory recall by presenting participants with a list of items to remember and then asking them to recall the items after a delay. Students can manipulate the length of the delay or the type of encoding strategy used to see the effect on recall.

Social Conformity

Students can test social conformity by presenting participants with a simple task and manipulating the responses of confederates to see if the participant conforms to the group response.

Selective Attention

Students can design an experiment to test selective attention by presenting participants with a video or audio stimulus and manipulating the presence or absence of a distracting stimulus to see the effect on attention.

Implicit Bias

Students can test implicit bias by presenting participants with a series of words or images and measuring their response time to categorize the stimuli into different categories.

The Primacy/Recency Effect

Students can test the primacy /recency effect by presenting participants with a list of items to remember and manipulating the order of the items to see the effect on recall.

Sleep Deprivation

Students can test the effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance by comparing the performance of participants who have had a full night’s sleep to those who have been deprived of sleep.

These are just a few examples of simple psychology experiment ideas for students. The specific experiment will depend on the research question and resources available.

Elements of a Good Psychology Experiment

Finding psychology experiment ideas is not necessarily difficult, but finding a good experimental or study topic that is right for your needs can be a little tough. You need to find something that meets the guidelines and, perhaps most importantly, is approved by your instructor.

Requirements may vary, but you need to ensure that your experiment, study, or survey is:

  • Easy to set up and carry out
  • Easy to find participants willing to take part
  • Free of any ethical concerns

In some cases, you may need to present your idea to your school’s institutional review board before you begin to obtain permission to work with human participants.

Consider Your Own Interests

At some point in your life, you have likely pondered why people behave in certain ways. Or wondered why certain things seem to always happen. Your own interests can be a rich source of ideas for your psychology experiments.

As you are trying to come up with a topic or hypothesis, try focusing on the subjects that fascinate you the most. If you have a particular interest in a topic, look for ideas that answer questions about the topic that you and others may have. Examples of topics you might choose to explore include:

  • Development
  • Personality
  • Social behavior

This can be a fun opportunity to investigate something that appeals to your interests.

Read About Classic Experiments

Sometimes reviewing classic psychological experiments that have been done in the past can give you great ideas for your own psychology experiments. For example, the false memory experiment above is inspired by the classic memory study conducted by Elizabeth Loftus.

Textbooks can be a great place to start looking for topics, but you might want to expand your search to research journals. When you find a study that sparks your interest, read through the discussion section. Researchers will often indicate ideas for future directions that research could take.

Ask Your Instructor

Your professor or instructor is often the best person to consult for advice right from the start.

In most cases, you will probably receive fairly detailed instructions about your assignment. This may include information about the sort of topic you can choose or perhaps the type of experiment or study on which you should focus.

If your instructor does not assign a specific subject area to explore, it is still a great idea to talk about your ideas and get feedback before you get too invested in your topic idea. You will need your teacher’s permission to proceed with your experiment anyway, so now is a great time to open a dialogue and get some good critical feedback.

Experiments vs. Other Types of Research

One thing to note, many of the ideas found here are actually examples of surveys or correlational studies .

For something to qualify as a tru e experiment, there must be manipulation of an independent variable .

For many students, conducting an actual experiment may be outside the scope of their project or may not be permitted by their instructor, school, or institutional review board.

If your assignment or project requires you to conduct a true experiment that involves controlling and manipulating an independent variable, you will need to take care to choose a topic that will work within the guidelines of your assignment.

Types of Psychology Experiments

There are many different types of psychology experiments that students could perform. Examples of psychological research methods you might use include:

Correlational Study

This type of study examines the relationship between two variables. Students could collect data on two variables of interest, such as stress and academic performance, and see if there is a correlation between the two.

Experimental Study

In an experimental study, students manipulate one variable and observe the effect on another variable. For example, students could manipulate the type of music participants listen to and observe its effect on their mood.

Observational Study

Observational studies involve observing behavior in a natural setting . Students could observe how people interact in a public space and analyze the patterns they see.

Survey Study

Students could design a survey to collect data on a specific topic, such as attitudes toward social media, and analyze the results.

A case study involves in-depth analysis of a single individual or group. Students could conduct a case study of a person with a particular disorder, such as anxiety or depression, and examine their experiences and treatment options.

Quasi-Experimental Study

Quasi-experimental studies are similar to experimental studies, but participants are not randomly assigned to groups. Students could investigate the effects of a treatment or intervention on a particular group, such as a classroom of students who receive a new teaching method.

Longitudinal Study

Longitudinal studies involve following participants over an extended period of time. Students could conduct a longitudinal study on the development of language skills in children or the effects of aging on cognitive abilities.

These are just a few examples of the many different types of psychology experiments that students could perform. The specific type of experiment will depend on the research question and the resources available.

Steps for Doing a Psychology Experiment

When conducting a psychology experiment, students should follow several important steps. Here is a general outline of the process:

Define the Research Question

Before conducting an experiment, students should define the research question they are trying to answer. This will help them to focus their study and determine the variables they need to manipulate and measure.

Develop a Hypothesis

Based on the research question, students should develop a hypothesis that predicts the experiment’s outcome. The hypothesis should be testable and measurable.

Select Participants

Students should select participants who meet the criteria for the study. Participants should be informed about the study and give informed consent to participate.

Design the Experiment

Students should design the experiment to test their hypothesis. This includes selecting the appropriate variables, creating a plan for manipulating and measuring them, and determining the appropriate control conditions.

Collect Data

Once the experiment is designed, students should collect data by following the procedures they have developed. They should record all data accurately and completely.

Analyze the Data

After collecting the data, students should analyze it to determine if their hypothesis was supported or not. They can use statistical analyses to determine if there are significant differences between groups or if there are correlations between variables.

Interpret the Results

Based on the analysis, students should interpret the results and draw conclusions about their hypothesis. They should consider the study’s limitations and their findings’ implications.

Report the Results

Finally, students should report the results of their study. This may include writing a research paper or presenting their findings in a poster or oral presentation.

Britt MA. Psych Experiments . Avon, MA: Adams Media; 2007.

Martin DW. Doing Psychology Experiments. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning; 2008.

Great Psychology Research Paper Topics

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Table of contents

  • 1 Psychology Research Paper Definition and Purpose
  • 2.1 Social Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.2 Clinical Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.3 Experimental Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.4 Developmental Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.5 Criminal Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.6 Cultural Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.7 Health Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.8 Sports Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.9 Educational Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.10 Social Media Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.11 Abnormal Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.12 Cognitive Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.13 Controversial Psychology Research Paper Topics
  • 2.14 Developmental Psychology
  • 2.15 Child Psychology
  • 3 Psychology Research Paper Tips
  • 4 Conclusion

If you are looking for psychology research topics to help you write a better paper and complete it in less time, this page is for you. We will present various research paper topics and give you important details you need to include in your creation. This is not an easy type of writing. You can see a lot of controversial topics in psychology for research paper and a lot more psychology research topics for high school students that are too complicated and require research or even conducting an experiment. Psychology research topics for college students are even more important and even more complicated due to their nature.

These papers usually need a week or even a month to be completed. It is no wonder why so many students want to buy psychology paper and get over it in a minute. If you are one of them, you can use help from our writers. Some are even therapists, so they can help you more than you can imagine. We will also present to you research topics in psychology for college students so you can get more basic types of help if you need it or at least get some inspiration.

Psychology Research Paper Definition and Purpose

All interesting psychology research topics are designed to focus on psychology. You will have to write about a condition, disorder, experiment, or even a literature review. Keep in mind that you can also write about psychology research topics on social media or social elements of society. Yes, psychology affects that as well. The best psychology research topics are complex, and they can even mandate that you perform complete research and provide a lab report. These psychology research topics in 2023 are all common and very popular at the moment. We must add that personality psychology research topics can be extremely difficult.

The first thing here is to know how to write a psychology research paper well and get the grade you are looking for. Always keep in mind that you must use accurate and trustworthy data and research details. The false data here is a huge mistake and something that will cost you a grade. Luckily there are interesting psychology topics that will keep you busy. In a nutshell, these essays aim to present your findings or understanding of a topic. This affects all topics about psychology, and each psychology research paper will have to be unique, have a good balance, and answer all the questions a reader may have.

Writing Tips for Psychology Research Papers

There are a lot of tips we can give you here. These can be used for all unique psychology research topics and can help you write the paper you will be happy with. You will use these tips if you are writing undergraduate research topics psychology, or any other. They are mandatory and will help you get the desired grade. You can use them when writing psychology research topics, cognitive psychology, or any other type. Anyway, here are the tips you are going to need.

  • Choose the topic you will love . This can help. You will be more interested in conducting proper research and can enjoy writing. If possible, pick a topic that means something to you. All psychology topics for research can be fun.
  • Keep all things simple . You need to write a research paper that is well-researched, simple, and answers all the questions directly. Psychology research topics and clinical psychology are a bit different, but you should use the same tip here.
  • Choose trustworthy sources . When writing on any general psychology topics, you need to use a good source or better-said sources. This is true for all research paper writings due to a simple reason. A research paper must be 100% accurate. Good psychology research topics will be perfect if you use this type of help.
  • Start soon . All good topics are complicated, so you will need a lot of time to complete them. This means starting as soon as you can. Using this tip, you will have enough time to write and get help if you need it. If you don’t have the time, you can write my research paper type of help and get the research essay done within minutes. Yes, it does work well.

Social Psychology Research Paper Topics

All of these research paper topics are basically a combination of science here and society. As such, we can see all the topics that are common and actually look related more to philosophy than anything else. Nevertheless, these are common topics, and they are very interesting. You will probably have to write good psychology on something like this.

  • What effects does racism have?
  • Gender role in the modern world
  • Side effects of gender discrimination
  • Peer pressure and the effect it has on teenagers
  • Violent cartoons and their Effect on small children
  • How divorce will affect a child
  • Explain homophobia
  • Explain social depression
  • Social cognition: What is it?
  • Social Issues and Culture

Clinical Psychology Research Paper Topics

This part of the science will examine and reveal the behavior of people and how they act and react in everyday life. These may touch on behavioral therapy and also cognitive development in one way or another. Below are a few paper topics that are very common, and you will probably have to write on some of them.

  • Discrimination from health workers explained
  • Human development in developing and developed countries
  • Multitasking explained by therapists
  • Religion as a factor in the development
  • PTSD Analysis and how it affects people
  • Internet addiction and which problems it does cause
  • Stress in marriages: How does it affect people and marriage?
  • Adult separation anxiety and the Effect on Children
  • Impact of Patients in Asylums on Staff
  • Why do people prefer to watch sports rather than participate

Experimental Psychology Research Paper Topics

When we mention psychology, many of you will instantly think of multiple personalities or something similar. This part of the content is a bit different. Here it is mostly about experiments that were conducted all over the world and found how our brain works, how disorders work, and so much more. Keep in mind that you may have to conduct your own experiment if you have to write on this topic. Many people will need research paper help or at least guidance in order to complete it. These are some of the hardest essays you will have to complete in your life.

  • Colors and the effect they have on our mood
  • How can breakfast affect our personality and mood during that day?
  • The worst medical experiments in history
  • Explain dehumanization in poisons
  • Mood freezing: Causes, symptoms, and treatment
  • Controlling aggression, but how?
  • Cloning can help couples without children
  • Group belonging and the link to an individual belonging
  • Violence and internet use link
  • Explain double foot in the door

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Developmental Psychology Research Paper Topics

These can be very hard but can be very rewarding as well. As you can assume, good cognitive psychology research topics here will be about forming personality in children, problems, and all the rest that may affect that. Yes, you will write about children most of the time, so you may want to pay close attention to the data you are using. The psychological elements here are massive and very important.

  • What kind of effect does bullying has on children?
  • Violent PC games and their effect on behavior?
  • Too much time online: How will children react?
  • Abusive parents: Huge problem these days
  • Are gender roles in children still present?
  • Abused children’s personality issues
  • Mental health issues: Long-term effects
  • Things that can cause faster aging
  • Medications and their Effect on your mental health
  • Sleeping disorder and the effect it has on your mental health

Criminal Psychology Research Paper Topics

Some of you may believe that this is a part of forensic psychology. In general, here, you will have to write why a person will commit a crime and whether any mental issues or links made him do that. You may also have to write about one criminal’s prevention, details, and specifics.

  • Brain dysfunction and criminals
  • Psychological traits of a serial killer
  • What is needed to ”make” a serial killer
  • Are criminals made or born
  • How childhood and abuse make criminals
  • Worst serial killers in history
  • Prevention of criminal behavior
  • Differences between criminals and ordinary people
  • Common disorders of criminals
  • What starts violent behavior

Cultural Psychology Research Paper Topics

For the lack of a better word, here you will have to write about how culture affects our mind when forming or later in life. Try to remember that your essay must be well-organized. A too-broad or even too-narrow paper will make the reader get lost in your words. This is not something you will want. The psychological factors are of extreme importance.

  • Analyzing culture and its development of it
  • Comparing two different cultures
  • Culture and its Effects on People
  • How cultures around the world view sex
  • Definition of global culture
  • Explain multicultural communities
  • Nationalism and culture are compared and explained
  • Do animals have culture?
  • Culture of isolated communities
  • Check different cultures and the languages

Health Psychology Research Paper Topics

Here you may have to touch anxiety disorders or anything else. In general, you will have to write an essay about brain health. Some ideas focus completely on disorders, while others focus on keeping your mind healthy and dealing with all sorts of issues. For most people, these titles are very amusing and can be very beneficial. You will basically have to cover different psychological elements of the science.

  • Rare mental problems
  • Stress and it has on the mind
  • Substance abuse and the side effects
  • Why is depression so common these days?
  • The mental health of young people
  • Postpartum depression and the treatment
  • The mental health of Native Americans
  • Common disorders in children
  • How mental problems affect the physical condition
  • Understanding all eating disorders

Sports Psychology Research Paper Topics

You may have to write about the mind of athletes or how they are affected in the world. The psychological factors here are very powerful and massive, the lack of a better word. These ideas are simple and will keep you busy and interested, especially if you are into sports. Now you can see the best examples of papers related to sports psychology.

  • Use of neuro-linguistic programming in sports
  • Doping in sports: How does it change the sport and the athlete?
  • Sport aggression is explained and defined
  • Attention and concentration in shooting sports
  • How can you reduce aggression in sports fans
  • Emotion and Needs in Sports for Women
  • Children of professional athletes: Differences to ordinary children
  • Gender studies: Modern problems in sports
  • Mental Recovery of athletes after Trauma
  • Personality and choosing to do sports

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Educational Psychology Research Paper Topics

The psychological elements here are all about education and the effects it has on the mind. This is a simple definition. We can add that you will have to complete paper topics that are also focused on education later in life and the effects they have on our minds.

  • Bullying and the effects it has on education and the mind
  • Importance of proper teacher program for children
  • Child Abuse and its link to Education
  • How memory loss affects education
  • Education of children with special needs
  • Anxiety and depression as huge issues for education
  • What motivates children to continue with higher education?
  • Goals, gender, and result in education
  • Parental Involvement for Children at School
  • Perspectives of attention-seeking students

Social Media Psychology Research Paper Topics

Don’t think that here you will have to enjoy paper writing that is all about Facebook and Instagram. You will have to prove how these platforms affect our mental health. You can write about pros, cons, and so much more, so you do need to conduct a lot of research and include tons of details. Here are great ideas that you will like.

  • Is Facebook beneficial for humans?
  • Instagram: pros and cons for the mind
  • Twitter and the effects it has on education
  • Addiction to social platforms
  • Cyberbullying and Facebook link
  • Doing Business and the Correlation with Facebook or Instagram
  • Is real-world communication affected by Facebook and similar platforms
  • Are these sites killing our productivity?
  • Advantages of using these platforms
  • Downsides of using these platforms

Abnormal Psychology Research Paper Topics

The main goal here is to explain or research disorders and explain them to people. You will have to use accurate and latest data in order to justify your claims. You may have to explain eating disorders but also severe psychosis.

  • Can PC games affect our minds?
  • Pros and cons of making marijuana legal
  • Prevention of teen suicide
  • ICD 10 classification of mental disorders
  • Mental problems caused by technology
  • History of abnormal psychology
  • How effective CBT is for treating anxiety in children
  • All about aggression
  • Most severe mental disorders
  • Extremely rare disorders in humans

Cognitive Psychology Research Paper Topics

This part of the science will affect all the details about memory, language use, processing of information, and so much more of one person. As you can see, the topics are mostly focused on problems and solutions. You need to stay focused while writing and pay close attention to details.

  • Autism and how it affects modern society
  • How can you recover from losing your memory?
  • Judgment in the decision-making process
  • Measuring the attention span of your child
  • Why will you encounter your memories?
  • What factors affect problem-solving in children?
  • How speech disorders affect children
  • Why will you repress some of your memory?
  • Can we use experiments to measure cognitive capability?
  • Explain human memories and how they are formed

Controversial Psychology Research Paper Topics

So, what are the most controversial topics in psychology?

  • Is it ethical to have clients as Facebook friends?
  • Homosexuality.
  • Ethics of the Milgram experiment.
  • Are women always the victims, or are they also perpetrators of domestic violence?
  • Crime as a justification for coping with past trauma – how justified is it?
  • Social networks, online dating, and their impact on teenagers.
  • Ethics surrounding the Stanford prison experiment.
  • The adult content in cartoons and animes.
  • Fetishes and sexually deviant behavior.
  • Child sexual abuse – when a parent is a perpetrator.

Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology is one of the most popular fields here since it studies the cognitive development of an individual throughout the entire lifespan. When you write your paper , you might want to check PapersOwl to make things easier. Here, we have some general ideas on where you might want to start:

  • The effects of social media on adolescent development: A critical review of research.
  • How do parenting styles influence the development of emotional regulation in children?
  • The impact of early childhood experiences on adult attachment styles.
  • The role of peer relationships in adolescent identity development.
  • Examining the long-term effects of childhood trauma on adult mental health and well-being.
  • The importance of cultural and ethnic identity in the development of racial attitudes and prejudice.
  • Gender identity development: A critical analysis of current theories.
  • The effects of poverty on child development: An overview of current research.
  • The development of empathy and prosocial behavior in children: The role of parenting and socialization.
  • Examining the effects of technology on infant and toddler development: A review of current literature.

Child Psychology

This is yet another exciting field of psychology that focuses on the peculiarities in the development of the child. This is also a prolific ground for finding a proper topic for your paper:

  • Influence of video games on Children
  • The emotional development of a child
  • The role of play in child development: A review of current literature.
  • The effects of parenting styles on child socialization and emotional development.
  • The impact of divorce and family conflict on child adjustment and well-being.
  • How to promote positive sibling relationships in childhood and adolescence.
  • The relationship between childhood ADHD and academic achievement: A meta-analysis.
  • The effects of media exposure on child behavior and attitudes: An overview of research.
  • The development of moral reasoning in children and adolescents.
  • The effects of child abuse and neglect on mental health outcomes in adulthood.
  • The importance of temperament in child development: A review of current theories.
  • How cultural values and beliefs influence parenting practices and child development.
  • Does death metal make children smarter?
  • Society and children’s cognitive development.

There are more branches of psychology you might want to discuss, so you need to consider your specialization when choosing a proper topic for your study. There are different psychology essay samples , so you just need to pick the one that suits you best and would potentially make for a great paper.

Psychology Research Paper Tips

Do not expect choosing a psychology topic for your paper to be quick or easy! Remember, research takes quite a long time and usually takes even more time than you expect, so do not choose a topic that doesn’t excite you. It is easier to stay motivated and keep writing your project paper when you choose something you are genuinely interested in and passionate about.

After you’ve decided on what you are going to write, the next step is to start searching for some information about it. Take a deep breath and begin your research by looking through encyclopedias, textbooks, and pay attention to all the sources that are cited in the readings. Pay a visit to the library, and use its catalogs to search for different books. You can also look through online databases like PsycNET or PsycINFO to find more recent information.

We hope you have found our examples useful. So, feel free to use any of them while working on your assignment! We understand how hard and challenging school tasks are, so if you are struggling with them, you can buy psychology papers, don’t be afraid to contact us – we will do it for you!

Selecting the proper topic is the most important part of approaching any paper, especially when it comes to complex disciplines such as psychology. There are many branches in this discipline, so choosing one perfect topic might be even more challenging than it seems. That is why we have some general suggestions for you so you could choose your perfect topic yourself.

Now you will have to find a good topic and start your paper writing task. This can be complicated and will take a lot of time, so you may want to stay focused and pay close attention to the details, specifics, and so much more. Always remember that you can get help when you need it and get over a task you don’t like. Don’t forget that you can choose a title you are passionate about that will keep you interested in writing for as long as possible.

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Psychologenie

Psychologenie

A Comprehensive List of Psychology Research Paper Topics

Being a psychology student, you may find the task of choosing a topic for your psychology research paper a daunting task. Here is an extensive list of topics that you can refer to before making your final choice.

List of Psychology Research Paper Topics

“Psychology is the Science of Mental Life, both of its phenomenon and their conditions”

– William James

Mental Health

The term ‘psychology’ is derived from a Latin word which means the study of the soul or mind. Psychology is a science based on the study of human psyche, behavior, and mental health. The field of psychology is a vast arena, with a variety of sub fields like child psychology, clinical psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, industrial psychology, etc. With psychology being such an interesting and challenging field, many students are taking it up as a career. To become a psychologist, one has to gain a bachelor’s degree and a postgraduate degree specializing in a particular field. Taking up a Ph.D. also helps. The field of psychology thrives on continuous research and every course requires students to write research papers on different subjects of psychology.

To make a research paper interesting, it is necessary to have a good topic in hand. Since psychology offers a plethora of topics, students may have a difficult time in choosing one. The most important criteria for selecting a research topic is the student’s interest and area of specialization. Writing a research paper in psychology involves a lot of reading as well as field work — therefore, the topic chosen becomes utmost important. Most sub-fields of psychology are broad, like the main subject, and research on a vast topic can become problematic. Hence, it is necessary to opt for a topic that is narrow and concise. For instance, memory is a vast topic and just opting for memory as a research title might be impossible to tackle. The student should narrow down the topic to something on the lines of ‘How does age affect memory?’. Such topics can make the paper interesting as well as specific.

List of Topics for Research Papers in Psychology

The topics listed below cover the varied fields of psychology. These will thus provide a wide range of choices for you to choose from depending on your area of expertise and interest.

Does Gender Affect Depression in Individuals?

Depression

How Does Bipolar Disorder Affect the Routine Life of a Person?

Bipolar Disorder

The Clinical Uses of Hypnosis – Risks Vs. Benefits

Hypnosis

Other Interesting Topics For Psychology Research

– Is Child Obesity a Reflection of Parental Negligence? – America’s Obsession with Fast Food – Link Between Television and Obesity – Narcissistic Mother’s Influence on Child’s Mental Health – Stress and Preterm Delivery – Situations Leading to Cutting Yourself Disorder – Effects of Abortion on Mental Health – Dating Violence Among Teens – Teenage Sexting and its Consequences – Can Stringent Laws Force Morality? – Effects of Designer Babies on Society – The Psychology of a Homophobe – Solitary Confinement and its Emotional Effects – The Varied Effects of Color on Mental States – Hyperactive Children – The Role of Environment or Biology? – The Psychological Profile of a Terrorist – A Psychological Profile of a Sex Worker – How are Habits Formed and How Can They Be Changed? – Gay Adoption and its Legal and Ethical Aspects – Shyness in Adults: Causes and Consequences – The Impact of Hate Crimes on Victims and Communities – Types of Torture and their Psychological Effects – Change of Perception Based on Attractiveness – Are the Attractive Treated Differently? – The Homeless and their Psychological Problems – Promoting Mental Health in the Workplace Through Sports Psychology – Long-lasting Marriages and the Psychology Behind them – Should School Uniforms be Banned? – List of Phobias and their Effect on Personality – The Rise of Divorces in Society – an Analysis – Causes and Impact of Emotional, Financial, and Physical Abuse of the Elderly – Effects of Birth Order on a Person’s Personality and Achievements – How Does In-store Music Influence Product Selection? – Teenage Suicide: Why it Happens and What to do About it – Effects of Postpartum Depression on the Mother and Child – An Analysis of Harsh and/or Capital Punishment for Sex Offenders – The Role of Genetics and Environment in Determining Intelligence – How Does Over Crowding Affect Human Beings? – Relation between Physical Illness and Stress – Short Term and Long Term Memory – Mental Illness and Aging – Role of Environment in Personality Development – Influence of Work Environment and Behavior on the Worker’s Self-esteem and Motivation – Impact of Counseling on Divorced Individuals – The Involvement of Psychologists in Military Interrogations – Violent Music and its Impact on Children – Motivation and its Varied Theories – Social Interaction – How Do Individual Differences Affect Stress – Psychological Reasons for Depression – Causes and Symptoms of Stress – How Does Social Anxiety Disorder Affect the Routine Life of a Person? – Human Development – Conception to Old Age – Mental Development of Special Children – Does Gender Affect Memory? – Different Stages of Human Development – Why is it Important to Impart Sexual Education to Young Children?

Things to Remember while Choosing a Research Topic

While choosing a research topic, make sure that the subject lies within your area of interest.

Interesting research topics can be easily found on news websites — Read scores of online newspapers and there will be several interesting articles which can be taken up as research topics.

Double check if a strong hypothesis can be made on the subject. Moreover, check if the subject has enough content available online.

Keep three to four research topics in hand before initiating the research. You may encounter unforeseen obstacles and may have to change the topic. That is why it becomes necessary to have some extra topics in hand and be flexible about change at this stage.

Do not hurry with the research, as this can make a mess. First collect secondary data from the Internet about your topic and then head out for primary data, if necessary.

Collecting primary data or first hand information will always give your research a more realistic touch. It will also add value to your paper. So don’t hesitate to go forward and collect your own findings.

The above-mentioned list is just an example of how a student can create their own topic for research. To select a topic, first pick out the area of psychology that interests you the most and then narrow it down to a specific topic. After the final choice of the topic has been made, the research work can be started. To cover all aspects of the topic thoroughly, the student should read up on what the experts have written about the topic; along with that he should also conduct experiments, take interviews, and undertake surveys. Once the research work is complete, the next step is to organize the collected data and begin writing the research paper. While writing a research paper, it is important to keep in mind that only the facts collected have to be listed, and any form of personal opinion or bias should be strictly avoided.

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20+ Psychology Research Project Ideas for High Schoolers

psychology research survey ideas

By Jordan Ellington

Project Support Manager at Polygence

11 minute read

Do you ever find yourself pondering why certain individuals act the way that they do? Why is it that sudden behaviors are triggered in one person but have no effect on the next? If this sounds like you, it’s time to explore the field of psychology! Whether you’re eager to learn more about mental health, functions of the brain, human behavior and motivations, or child development, this could be the sign you’ve been needing to further inspect the world of psychology.

There are many types of psychology research and fields. Here’s a list of project ideas and areas of focus to help inspire you as you get started doing psychology research .

5 Psychology Experiment Research and Passion Project Ideas

Experiments allow psychologists to determine causation (i.e., that something caused another thing to happen). These research projects study how one group of participants (those in the “control” condition) compares to another group of participants (those in the “experimental” condition). Importantly, participants are randomly assigned to conditions - they don’t get to choose which one they are in. 

Here are some psychology experiments that you can do, along with a few things to consider for each one:  

1. Does meditation improve the mental health of people who feel lonely?

Make sure to standardize the way that participants meditate each day (e.g., duration, any apps that they use). What would be a good control condition for this experiment?

Idea by psychology research mentor Kristen

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2. How can psychologists improve mental health?

This is a broad research question - you should narrow it down to a specific area of focus, such as anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. Design an activity for participants to do in order to improve their mental health in this area. Both project #1 and #2 are types of experiments called “interventions”.

Idea by psychology research mentor Tanya

3. Is stress contagious?

This is another broad research question. You can be creative about how you decide to study this idea. Perhaps you will have two “participants” sit side-by-side as they complete a math test. In the experimental condition, one “participant” will actually be a fake participant who’s a member of the research team and acts very nervous while taking the test. In one control condition, both participants will be real. In another control condition, one participant will be “fake,” but they won’t act nervous. How will you measure stress in this experiment? You can use self-report questionnaires, but maybe there is a better way. You should also study how the average score on the test compares between conditions.

Idea by psychology research mentor Stephen

4. What’s more effective for studying: digital study tools or traditional textbook review?

Think about which subjects students typically use digital study tools for (e.g., flashcards). Math is probably not the best subject in this case. Doing the experiment on students in a real classroom on a real test would probably be best, but how can you ensure that students stick to their assigned study method? How can you recreate a classroom in a laboratory setting?

Idea by psychology research mentor Noel

5. Does color impact memory?

In this experiment, you could give participants a list of words in different colors and see how well they remember them based on the color.

Idea by psychology research mentor Aya

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Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own. And on your own schedule. Our psychology mentors both inspire and guide you along the way. We also offer options to explore multiple topics, or to showcase your final product!

4 Survey-based Psychology Research and Passion Project Ideas

Survey-based research involves analyzing word-based information, such as what participants express in interviews and open-ended response questions, or numerical information (e.g.,when participants answer questions on a scale from 1 to 5). Researchers usually conduct survey-based research when it would be unethical or impossible to do an experiment about the topic. 

When you are asking survey questions, especially about sensitive topics, there are important aspects to consider. Try your best to make participants feel comfortable answering the questions. You can do this by emphasizing that responses will be confidential. Avoid asking leading questions and questions that can be answered with a simple “yes or no.” Doing survey-based research online allows you to have more participants. However, during an in-person interview, you can ask follow-up questions about anything interesting that the participant says. 

Here are ideas of survey-based psychology research projects: 

1. Who uses apps and websites that offer virtual counseling?

How do these digital tools compare to in-person counseling? In this survey, you can ask participants who use virtual tools versus in-person therapy why they use their respective mediums. Ideally, it would be great to find someone who has tried both virtual and in-person therapy.

2. How does the relationship between mountain biking on physical and mental health compare to other types of physical exercise?

This project is interesting because you can’t ethically conduct an experiment and tell participants to do a dangerous activity like mountain biking. Thus, a survey is a better approach. Get participants who do a variety of physical activities and ask them why they chose the activity. Be creative with your questions!

Idea by psychology research mentor Haille  

3. How do members of your family, community, peers, or a specific population think about mental health counseling?

What do they think of people who utilize therapy? After understanding these perceptions of therapy, you can come up with interventions that can challenge stigma around going to therapy. Reducing stigma can encourage people to go to therapy and thus improve mental health outcomes!

Idea by mentor psychology research mentor Nat

4. Think about your high school and ask yourself the question: “Do/Would students from different backgrounds feel welcomed here?”

In this project, you will interview students and teachers to document how your school can better champion diversity and inclusion efforts. You will use primary and secondary sources to uncover themes and gaps in your school’s equity policies and practices.

Idea by psychology research mentor Lydia

5 Psychology Literature Review Research and Passion Project Ideas 

A literature review (sometimes shortened to “lit review”) is a written summary of key work that has been conducted about a psychological topic over several years. It’s a type of secondary research that describes how different studies relate to each other and how the field has developed over time. To write a lit review, the first step is to use an academic journal database (e.g., Google Scholar ) to find and skim academic articles . 

Keep notes about the key findings from each study and how it built off of previous research. What open questions did the researchers hope to resolve by conducting their study? How were the results the same between similar studies and how were the results different? What methods did different researchers use? How has researchers’ understanding of the field changed in light of new and potentially conflicting evidence? 

It can be overwhelming to decide what to include in your literature review because there are tons of psychological articles on a given topic. I like to start with a promising paper in Google Scholar and then look at sources that the paper references. You can also read other literature reviews that other researchers have conducted and note which papers they discuss. In both cases, make sure to go to the original sources and read the actual papers they referenced. Also, use the search filters to ensure that your literature review covers a wide span of years. 

Examples of literature review psychology research project ideas you could do: 

1. How do only-children compare to children who have siblings?

There are many different questions you could focus on: Are only-children more independent? Are children with siblings better at cooperating with others? How does birth order (e.g., being the oldest or youngest sibling) play a role in development?

2. How might family socioeconomic circumstances impact child development?

Consider styles, home (in)stability, local school quality, and more to understand the consequences that different environments could have on children.

Idea by psychology research mentor Katrina

3. Why do certain exercises in specific environments promote different benefits?

You can consider indoor versus outdoor workouts, as well as whether the participants did the exercise alone or with others.

Idea by psychology research mentor Daphne

4. How has our understanding of a particular psychological disorder advanced over the years?

Pick a psychological disorder and write a review paper on recent advances in neuroscience that have improved our understanding of the disorder’s development and treatment.

Idea by psychology research mentor Phil

5. How can existing evidenced-based psychological interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat anxiety, be adapted to be more culturally sensitive?

Cultural sensitivity involves “recognizing and respecting the beliefs, perspectives, and values of clients from a particular race, ethnicity, or region” and also addresses other important factors, such as age, gender, and sexual orientation. For this literature review, it will probably be best to focus on a particular culture since there are so many different cultures that you could choose from.

Idea by psychology research mentor Kaley

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2+ Psychology Research and Passion Project Ideas Using Scientific Communication

Another type of project focuses on communicating scientific ideas to a lay audience. This project is similar to a literature review because it involves reading and synthesizing scientific articles. However, literature reviews are generally written for an academic audience. The fun thing about a scientific communication project is that you get to be creative! You want to keep your audience engaged. There are many different ways to communicate science, including: 

1. Science blog

You can pick a psychological disorder, and write a blog describing recent advances in neuroscience that have improved our understanding of the disorder’s causes and treatment. Consider the broad impact of the work you review (i.e., why should people care?). 

2. Science podcast

Decide on a subfield of psychology that interests you, such as how researchers use psychology to improve learning and teaching. You could then interview people you know about their experiences with the psychological topic. For example, what learning and teaching strategies work best for them?

Idea by psychology research mentor Yinuo

For any type of scientific communication project, you’ll need to identify your target audience and think about the language that you’ll use to communicate your ideas. For example, I (Logan) generally write psychology-related blogs for high school students, and if I was writing for a younger audience I would explain topics using simpler language. Another thing to consider is the format of your project. A podcast is a more natural format if you want to include interviews. You should also think about where you will publish your work. You’ll have to do some research on the best place to publish a blog! It is fairly easy to publish your podcast on Spotify. 

I’m also going to add that a YouTube channel and a website are two more fun ways to communicate science! I actually have a YouTube channel about juggling , and I’ve really enjoyed posting videos there for over two years.

2 Data-Based Psychology Research and Passion Project Ideas

Other psychology projects involve analyzing large amounts of data. These projects yield interesting results because they allow you to study something “big” that would be difficult to do by hand. To do this type of project, you’ll need some comfort with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets and statistical analysis. Potentially, you’ll also need to know computer science. Here are a few ideas: 

1. Use publicly available datasets to analyze the availability of mental health services in a U.S. state over time.

How does the availability of services for children compare to that of adults and older adults? What proportion of facilities accept Medicaid/Medicare/public funds (making services accessible to low income populations)?

Example data source: National Mental Health Services Survey

Idea by psychology research mentor Juliana

2. Identifying gender and race/ethnicity biases in sentiment analysis.

Sentiment analysis is a popular form of text analysis that uses artificial intelligence to predict the specific emotion that the writer of the text was feeling. However, we know from prior research in linguistics that there are differences between gender and racial subgroups on how language is used. Thus, these popular sentiment analysis tools, which do not differentiate between gender and race, might lead to biased scores that have important future consequences. This project investigates the degree to which popular sentiment analysis models exhibit gender and racial-ethnic biases. You could ask your friends of different races and genders to write a paragraph using happy, sad, angry, and neutral language, and see how accurately the sentiment analysis predicts their emotions.

Idea by psychology research mentor Steven

2 Other Psychology Research and Passion Project Ideas

1. observational research.

People may behave differently when they know that someone is monitoring their behavior, such as in experiments and surveys. Thus, the goal of observational research is to study how people behave when they don’t know that they are in a research study. Observe how children of different age groups play. First, conduct a literature review to better understand the different levels of social and emotional development throughout childhood. Go to any area where children are playing in order to evaluate how children within different age groups are interacting with one another. How do your observations compare to academic research?

Idea by psychology research mentor Ellyn

2. Media analysis

When portrayed in the media, mental illness is typically exaggerated. Because it is shown to be unpredictable and dangerous, many individuals do not have a good understanding of what mental illness even is. Do a deep analysis of how movies and/or TV shows portray mental illness. Consider the best way to disseminate your findings and discuss what the media gets right and wrong about mental illness. 

Idea by psychology research mentor Urveesha

Psychology Research and Passion Project Resources

The ideas on this list are just a handful of the many types of psychology research projects that you can do!  Here is another list of creative ways you can explore your passions . For even more inspiration, check out the database of projects completed by Polygence students . 

Did you know that doing a research project can really give you an edge on your college application ? 

Read this article about collecting data in psychology to learn more about experimental, survey-based, and observational research.

Before conducting any research project with real participants, make sure to get IRB approval .

After you complete your psychology research or passion project, you may want to write a research paper .

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Mental health and the pandemic: What U.S. surveys have found

psychology research survey ideas

The coronavirus pandemic has been associated with worsening mental health among people in the United States and around the world . In the U.S, the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020 caused widespread lockdowns and disruptions in daily life while triggering a short but severe economic recession that resulted in widespread unemployment. Three years later, Americans have largely returned to normal activities, but challenges with mental health remain.

Here’s a look at what surveys by Pew Research Center and other organizations have found about Americans’ mental health during the pandemic. These findings reflect a snapshot in time, and it’s possible that attitudes and experiences may have changed since these surveys were fielded. It’s also important to note that concerns about mental health were common in the U.S. long before the arrival of COVID-19 .

Three years into the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States , Pew Research Center published this collection of survey findings about Americans’ challenges with mental health during the pandemic. All findings are previously published. Methodological information about each survey cited here, including the sample sizes and field dates, can be found by following the links in the text.

The research behind the first item in this analysis, examining Americans’ experiences with psychological distress, benefited from the advice and counsel of the COVID-19 and mental health measurement group at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

At least four-in-ten U.S. adults (41%) have experienced high levels of psychological distress at some point during the pandemic, according to four Pew Research Center surveys conducted between March 2020 and September 2022.

A bar chart showing that young adults are especially likely to have experienced high psychological distress since March 2020

Young adults are especially likely to have faced high levels of psychological distress since the COVID-19 outbreak began: 58% of Americans ages 18 to 29 fall into this category, based on their answers in at least one of these four surveys.

Women are much more likely than men to have experienced high psychological distress (48% vs. 32%), as are people in lower-income households (53%) when compared with those in middle-income (38%) or upper-income (30%) households.

In addition, roughly two-thirds (66%) of adults who have a disability or health condition that prevents them from participating fully in work, school, housework or other activities have experienced a high level of distress during the pandemic.

The Center measured Americans’ psychological distress by asking them a series of five questions on subjects including loneliness, anxiety and trouble sleeping in the past week. The questions are not a clinical measure, nor a diagnostic tool. Instead, they describe people’s emotional experiences during the week before being surveyed.

While these questions did not ask specifically about the pandemic, a sixth question did, inquiring whether respondents had “had physical reactions, such as sweating, trouble breathing, nausea, or a pounding heart” when thinking about their experience with the coronavirus outbreak. In September 2022, the most recent time this question was asked, 14% of Americans said they’d experienced this at least some or a little of the time in the past seven days.

More than a third of high school students have reported mental health challenges during the pandemic. In a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from January to June 2021, 37% of students at public and private high schools said their mental health was not good most or all of the time during the pandemic. That included roughly half of girls (49%) and about a quarter of boys (24%).

In the same survey, an even larger share of high school students (44%) said that at some point during the previous 12 months, they had felt sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row – to the point where they had stopped doing some usual activities. Roughly six-in-ten high school girls (57%) said this, as did 31% of boys.

A bar chart showing that Among U.S. high schoolers in 2021, girls and LGB students were most likely to report feeling sad or hopeless in the past year

On both questions, high school students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, other or questioning were far more likely than heterosexual students to report negative experiences related to their mental health.

A bar chart showing that Mental health tops the list of parental concerns, including kids being bullied, kidnapped or abducted, attacked and more

Mental health tops the list of worries that U.S. parents express about their kids’ well-being, according to a fall 2022 Pew Research Center survey of parents with children younger than 18. In that survey, four-in-ten U.S. parents said they’re extremely or very worried about their children struggling with anxiety or depression. That was greater than the share of parents who expressed high levels of concern over seven other dangers asked about.

While the fall 2022 survey was fielded amid the coronavirus outbreak, it did not ask about parental worries in the specific context of the pandemic. It’s also important to note that parental concerns about their kids struggling with anxiety and depression were common long before the pandemic, too . (Due to changes in question wording, the results from the fall 2022 survey of parents are not directly comparable with those from an earlier Center survey of parents, conducted in 2015.)

Among parents of teenagers, roughly three-in-ten (28%) are extremely or very worried that their teen’s use of social media could lead to problems with anxiety or depression, according to a spring 2022 survey of parents with children ages 13 to 17 . Parents of teen girls were more likely than parents of teen boys to be extremely or very worried on this front (32% vs. 24%). And Hispanic parents (37%) were more likely than those who are Black or White (26% each) to express a great deal of concern about this. (There were not enough Asian American parents in the sample to analyze separately. This survey also did not ask about parental concerns specifically in the context of the pandemic.)

A bar chart showing that on balance, K-12 parents say the first year of COVID had a negative impact on their kids’ education, emotional well-being

Looking back, many K-12 parents say the first year of the coronavirus pandemic had a negative effect on their children’s emotional health. In a fall 2022 survey of parents with K-12 children , 48% said the first year of the pandemic had a very or somewhat negative impact on their children’s emotional well-being, while 39% said it had neither a positive nor negative effect. A small share of parents (7%) said the first year of the pandemic had a very or somewhat positive effect in this regard.

White parents and those from upper-income households were especially likely to say the first year of the pandemic had a negative emotional impact on their K-12 children.

While around half of K-12 parents said the first year of the pandemic had a negative emotional impact on their kids, a larger share (61%) said it had a negative effect on their children’s education.

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How Americans View the Coronavirus, COVID-19 Vaccines Amid Declining Levels of Concern

Online religious services appeal to many americans, but going in person remains more popular, about a third of u.s. workers who can work from home now do so all the time, how the pandemic has affected attendance at u.s. religious services, economy remains the public’s top policy priority; covid-19 concerns decline again, most popular.

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Participants Needed for Psychology Research Survey

submitted by hankinsl@augsburg.edu

Participants needed for psychology research survey for Statistics 315. Participants will need to read a short story and take a comprehension quiz (20 minutes max).

Take survey here: https://augsburg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_262jfdCMgy1ZCES

Posted on ← See all posts from April 18, 2024

COMMENTS

  1. 61 Interesting Psychology Research Topics (2024)

    Examples of systemic racism-related psychology research topics include: Access to mental health resources based on race. The prevalence of BIPOC mental health therapists in a chosen area. The impact of systemic racism on mental health and self-worth. Racism training for mental health workers.

  2. Explore 151 Amazing Topics For Survey Research (Updated 2024)

    Top 10 Topics For Survey Research On Entertainment Preferences. Streaming Services vs. Traditional Cable: Consumer Preferences. Influences on Music Genre Preferences Among Different Age Groups. Viewer Satisfaction and Preferences in Online Video Content. Impact of Social Media on Movie and TV Show Recommendations.

  3. 50+ Research Topics for Psychology Papers

    Topics of Psychology Research Related to Human Cognition. Some of the possible topics you might explore in this area include thinking, language, intelligence, and decision-making. Other ideas might include: Dreams. False memories. Attention. Perception.

  4. 500+ Psychology Research Topic Ideas

    Psychology Research Topic Ideas are as follows: The effects of social media on self-esteem in adolescents. The role of parenting styles in shaping children's personality development. The impact of mindfulness meditation on stress reduction in adults. The influence of music on mood and emotional regulation.

  5. 200+ Psychology Topics to Research Right Away

    40+ Cognitive Psychology Topics. The role of working memory in problem-solving. Cognitive effects of sleep deprivation. Neural basis of attention and focus. Influence of language on cognitive development. Decision-making biases in economic behavior. The psychology of learning and memory.

  6. Top 15 Psychology Survey Questions for Questionnaires

    Psychology survey questions are survey questions asked by psychologists, medical professionals such as doctors, psychiatrists or mental health professionals to evaluate the mental state of the respondent. Evaluating the mental state and understanding the psyche of an individual can help you to assess the person's behavior, traits, and conditions. Explore the top 15 generic psychology survey ...

  7. How To Write a Good Survey for Psychological Research

    Write each question in simple to read, easy to understand language. A good rule of thumb is to write questions at the 6th to 8th grade reading level. Ask your question immediately, using unambiguous words. Be careful of words like "very," "many," "a lot," and so forth.". They can introduce ambiguity.

  8. Research Topics In Psychology (+ Free Webinar)

    Research Ideas: Developmental Psychology. The impact of maternal affection on cognitive, social, and emotional development. The effects of parenting styles on children's executive function. The impact of late-night screen use on child development. The role of digital play on child development outcomes.

  9. Social Psychology Research Topics

    Choose a Sub-Topic. Social psychologists are interested in all aspects of social behavior. Some of the main areas of interest within the field include social cognition, social influence, and social relationships investigating subtopics such as conformity, groupthink, attitude formation, obedience, prejudice, and so on.

  10. When to Use Surveys in Psychology Research

    A survey is a data collection tool used to gather information about individuals. Surveys are commonly used in psychology research to collect self-report data from study participants. A survey may focus on factual information about individuals, or it might aim to obtain the opinions of the survey takers.

  11. Psychology Survey Questions and Insights: A Deep Dive

    In psychology, researchers use surveys to collect self-report data from the target audience. It helps gather factual information on the behavior, opinions, demographics, and characteristics of the target group. Surveys offer many advantages. You can administer a psychology survey rapidly and gather data via multiple channels such as online or ...

  12. Generating Good Research Questions

    A Model of Scientific Research in Psychology. 8. Finding a Research Topic. 9. Generating Good Research Questions. 10. ... Survey Research. 34. Overview of Survey Research. 35. Constructing Surveys. 36. Conducting Surveys. ... Describe some techniques for turning research ideas into empirical research questions and use those techniques to ...

  13. Psychology Research Topics: 200+ Engaging Ideas

    Psychology Research Topics: 200+ Engaging Ideas. Psychology refers to a conceptual discipline that studies human behavior and mental processes. With clinical, social, controversial, biological, criminal, educational, and comparative, the possibilities of finding topic ideas are endless. But even with such a huge range of psychology research ...

  14. Survey Research

    Survey Research. Shortly after the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, in September of 2001, researcher Jennifer Lerner and her colleagues conducted an Internet-based survey of nearly 2,000 American teens and adults ranging in age from 13 to 88 (Lerner, Gonzalez, Small, & Fischhoff, 2003)[1]. They asked participants about ...

  15. 10 Positive Psychology Surveys, Measures, and Questionnaires

    The AHS is designed to measure hope according to the various sub facets of goal-directed behavior. The scale is related to a range of positive outcomes, including optimism, self-efficacy, and self-esteem (Snyder et al., 1991). This measure has 12 items assessing agency and pathways to goal achievement.

  16. Great Ideas for Psychology Experiments to Explore

    Piano stairs experiment. Cognitive dissonance experiments. False memory experiments. You might not be able to replicate an experiment exactly (lots of classic psychology experiments have ethical issues that would preclude conducting them today), but you can use well-known studies as a basis for inspiration.

  17. Psychology Experiment Ideas

    Simple Psychology Experiment Ideas. If you are looking for a relatively simple psychology experiment idea, here are a few options you might consider. The Stroop Effect. This classic experiment involves presenting participants with words printed in different colors and asking them to name the color of the ink rather than read the word.

  18. Psychology Research Paper Topics For College Students

    2.12 Cognitive Psychology Research Paper Topics. 2.13 Controversial Psychology Research Paper Topics. 2.14 Developmental Psychology. 2.15 Child Psychology. 3 Psychology Research Paper Tips. 4 Conclusion. If you are looking for psychology research topics to help you write a better paper and complete it in less time, this page is for you. We will ...

  19. A Comprehensive List of Psychology Research Paper Topics

    Being a psychology student, you may find the task of choosing a topic for your psychology research paper a daunting task. Here is an extensive list of topics that you can refer to before making your final choice. "Psychology is the Science of Mental Life, both of its phenomenon and their conditions". - William James.

  20. 20+ Psychology Research Project Ideas for High Schoolers

    4 Survey-based Psychology Research and Passion Project Ideas. Survey-based research involves analyzing word-based information, such as what participants express in interviews and open-ended response questions, or numerical information (e.g.,when participants answer questions on a scale from 1 to 5).

  21. 35 Psychology Research Ideas for High School Students

    Psychology Research Area #2: Bullying and Peer Relationships. Bullying and its effects on peer relationships are critical areas for high school students seeking psychology research ideas. This topic is vital because it addresses the immediate and long-term psychological impacts on all parties involved, including victims, bullies, and bystanders.

  22. Mental health and the pandemic: What U.S. surveys have found

    At least four-in-ten U.S. adults (41%) have experienced high levels of psychological distress at some point during the pandemic, according to four Pew Research Center surveys conducted between March 2020 and September 2022. Young adults are especially likely to have faced high levels of psychological distress since the COVID-19 outbreak began: 58% of Americans ages 18 to 29 fall into this ...

  23. Participants Needed for Psychology Research Survey

    submitted by [email protected]. Participants needed for psychology research survey for Statistics 315. Participants will need to read a short story and take a comprehension quiz (20 minutes max).