Cheat-Sheet of 100 Psychology Research Topics

The field of psychology has been favored by many college students, despite its challenging and complex studying nature – the human psyche. What’s even more demanding for anyone enrolled in a psychology course is selecting the right research topic. One specific and interesting enough to encourage your thirst for knowledge and research.

Due to the nature of the complex subject studied, it’s often accompanied by extensive research and is dependent on your particular field of study. However, a good research topic can spark further analysis, and some of the more important topics can be explored further into a longer paper, such as a dissertation.

Perhaps the most challenging part of this task is getting started. Selecting an exciting psychology research topic is essential to the success of your written paper. In the article below, we’ll provide you with good psychology research topics, divided by your branch of study, so you can browse enough ideas and allow your imagination to guide you in the right direction.

Psychology Research Paper – Definition & Purpose

Psychology writing is meant to inform the reader of a new idea, theory, or experiment within the scientific field, despite significant research efforts, including academic records, literary reviews, and other research papers. The best writers can convey their complex ideas to people outside their area of expertise clearly and economically.

When writing a psychology paper, you predominantly look for facts and evidence corresponding to your topic. Therefore, you should strive to be precise, clear, and literal in your writing. It’s a common misunderstanding that psychology research papers should include heavy and descriptive language or complex sentence structure, when in fact, you should aim for the opposite.

The purpose of a psychology research paper is to demonstrate your deep understanding of your field of study and to prove your originality and successful wayfinding through correlative scientific literature. An essential part of the paper is synthesizing previous research concerning the topic while shedding new light on the subject discussed.

It sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? However, the process can be more straightforward with the right topic. We’ll help you find the best psychology paper topic in the section below.

How to Choose a Good Psychology Research Paper Topic

There are some valuable strategies you should get familiar with if you aren’t sure what topic to choose:

• Was there a topic studied or discussed recently that made an impression on you? Try to sum it up in a few words and look up the topics online. Play around with the keywords. There is a good chance someone else already wrote an academic paper on it. You might even stumble upon different points of view, which could spark up some ideas.
• Sometimes you can correlate your favorite hobby to your research paper. For example, If you are a huge fan of tabletop role-playing games. Use this hobby to explain how role-playing games can boost confidence and creativity. Maybe there is a way to relate your hobby to your psychology practice? Once you come up with one, double-check with a tutor or mentor to see its relevance to your studies.
• You can look up research topic lists online, like those included in the section below, which is probably how you got here in the first place. Well done. You’re obviously on the right track.
• Have a read at an article related to a subfield of an area of interest. Check out the resources included in the Bibliography when you’re done. You’re likely to find some more topics and ideas you can explore in greater detail.
• You can always turn to a tutor or mentor for support. If none of the above methods work for you, discussing your academic interests with a professional is always a good idea.

Psychology Research Topics

Below are 10 subcategories with examples of psychology research topics.

Social Psychology Research Topics:

1. Tajfel and Turner’s Social Identity Theory
2. The Role of the Unfamiliar Environment in Milgram’s Shock Experiment
3. The Stanford Prison Experiment: Causes and Effects of Dehumanization
4. How is Society Modeling Human Behavior According to Bandura’s Social Learning Theory
5. How Group Belonging can Alter Identity and Behavior
6. Obedience and Authority and Cruelty According to Milgram’s Shock Experiment
7. Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience According to the Social Status Function

Developmental Psychology Research Topics:

1. The Aftereffect of Bullying on Mental Development
2. Stereotypes and Gender Roles in Society
3. Child Development in an Abusive Environment
4. Postpartum Depression and Its Effect on Mental Health
5. The Effect of Sleeping Disorders on Mental Development
6. The Aftermath of Narcotics on Mental Health
7. Psychology’s Relation to Mental Health
8. Postpartum Depression: Effects on Mental Health
9. Factors Responsible for The Acceleration of the Aging Process
10. How Child Abuse Affects Mental Development
11. Can Psychology Tackle the Aftermath of Bullying

Cognitive Psychology Research Topics:

1. Memory Loss and Methods of Recovery
2. Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity in the Child: Developmental Effects
3. Factors That Aid Problem-Solving Abilities in Children
4. Color Psychology’s Effect on Cognitive Development Studies
5. Subconsciousness’ Effect on the Decision Making Ability
6. Increasing Violence Amongst Children
7. Delay in the Mental Development of a Child: Contributing Factors
8. The Effect of Romantic Movies in the Development of a Child
9. What is Critical Thinking, and How to Measure Its Ability in Cognitive Psychology
10. Causes of Bullying Behavior in Children
11. Cognitive Psychology Experiments

Clinical Psychology Research Topics:

1. How Cognitive Therapy Can Reduce Anxiety and Panic Attacks
2. Behavioral Therapy as a Cause of Treating Criminals
3. Contributing Factors to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
4. Effective Practices in Treating Addictions
5. Effective therapy Practices in Dealing With Depression
6. Paranoias and Phobias – Treatment Through Medication and Therapy
7. Psychological Disorders and Their Clinical Treatments
8. Social Anxiety: Cause and Treatment
9. Schizophrenia: Recommended Therapies
10. Insomnia: Clinical Treatments
11. Antidepressant’s Effects in Remedial Therapy

Abnormal Psychology Research Topics:

1. Causes of Anorexia In Adults
2. How to Overcome Anxiety Disorders
3. Multiple Personality Disorder: Causes
4. How to Deal With Phobias
5. PTSD in Offices and Workplaces
6. Factors that Contribute to Eating Disorders in Adults
7. Psychology Behind Suicidal Thoughts
8. How Violent Video Games Affect Mood Disorders in Children
9. Stalking: A Psychological Disorder

Forensic Psychology Research Topics:

1. The Effectiveness of Prison Rehabilitation and the Criminal Justice System
2. The Cause behind Mass Killings in the USA
3. Is domestic Violence Against Men Being Neglected by Society
4. Are Movie or TV Series Plot Augmenting Copycat Crimes
5. Risk Factors Behind Unreliable Evidence
6. The Цredibility of Statement From Mentally Challenged Eyewitnesses
7. Psychologist Verbally Interacting With Criminals in Court: Rules To Go By
8. The Лegitimacy of an Eyewitness’s Memory
9. Can a Better Upbringing Prevent the Making of a Serial Killer
10. How Does Participating in Law Enforcement Impact an Individual’s Life

Health Psychology Research Topics:

1. Managing Eating Disorders: The Role of the Psychologist
2. Group Therapy: Efficiency and Lenitive Care
3. Meditation Techniques to Help With Chronic Pain Management
4. Practical Approaches To Aid Stress and Depression Management in Cancer Patients
5. How Are Cognitive Abilities Affected by Physical Exercise and Social Interaction
6. Most Effective Interventions To Enforce Abstinence in Drug Addicts
7. Communication Strategies That Help Encourage Patients To Attend REgular Screens (For Breast Cancer, Heart Disease, Prostate Cancer, etc.)
8. How Physical Exercise Helps Reduce Stress and Mood Swings

Educational Psychology Research Topics:

1. Adapting Teaching and Deadlines for Dyslexic Students
2. Learning Motivation Strategies in Education
3. Does Learning Complex Musical Instruments Aid Cognitive Performance Actually Work
4. Consequences of Bullying on the Self-Perception of a Student
5. Social Reinforcement Vs. Material Rewards: Strategies to Encourage Learning in Students
6. How Operant Conditioning Works
7. Listening to Music: Effect on Cognitive Functions
8. The Importance of Showing Affection to Children
9. The Effect of Academic Success on Self-Esteem

Experimental Psychology Research Topics:

1. The Psychological Effect of Colors
2. The Stroop Effect: What Does it Say About Our Minds
3. Comparisons Between Excessive Social Media Use and Drug Addiction
4. How do Colors Affect Learning
5. Mood Freezing: Definition and Implications
6. Double Foot-In-Door: Definitions and Implications

Psychology Research Topics on Depression:

1. Postpartum Depression and its Effect on Children
2. How Depression Affects Productivity
3. Gut Microbiota and Major Depression
4. Depression: Differences in Males and Females
5. Ways to Ease Seasonal Depression
6. Effective therapy Practices in Dealing With Depression
7. Environmental Factors as Depression Triggers
8. Electroconvulsive Therapy as a Last Resort to Treating Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Psychology Research Topics About Dreams:

1. Can Dreams Reveal Who We Are As An Individual?
2. Why Do Brains Need to Dream?
3. Why Dreaming is a Healthy Exercise For the Brain.
4. Why Men’s Dreams are Seemingly More Violent?
5. How Are Adolescent Dreams Different Than Those of College Students?
6. Can Mental Health Issues be Spotted Through Dreams?
7. Can Dreams Indicate a Person’s Future Personality?