BSc · MSc · PhD · Psychology dissertations
50 psychology research questions, with a proposed study design, statistical analysis, accessible datasets and related university theses to help you build a feasible research project.
50 Questions
10 Sub-fields
9 Datasets
5 Universities
2022–26 Thesis years
By Siddharth Gupta · Statssy
Psychology students usually pick a topic they care about. That part is easy.
The hard part comes later. You need 200 participants for your SEM, and you have six weeks. In my 12 years of helping psychology students, recruitment has sunk more dissertations than bad ideas ever did.
This list provides potential questions alongside study designs, statistical tests and real secondary-data sources. Each also links to a related university thesis whose methodology you can examine.
How to use this list Choose two or three questions from the psychology area that interests you most. Inspect the source dataset and codebook for validated measurements of your key constructs. Study the linked thesis to understand operationalisation and research methods. Decide whether mediation, moderation or a simpler model fits your question. Discuss the shortlist with your supervisor or arrange a free consultation . Jump to a sub-field 01. Clinical psychology 02. Social psychology 03. Cognitive psychology and ageing 04. Developmental psychology 05. Organisational psychology 06. Health psychology 07. Educational and student psychology 08. Personality psychology 09. Cyberpsychology 10. Positive psychology and wellbeing Psychology area 01 / 10
Clinical psychology Clinical topics test whether symptoms, treatment and recovery move together. National surveys give you thousands of cases without recruiting a single patient.
TOPIC 01 Does more time in therapy link to lower psychological distress? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset NSDUH Open TOPIC 02 Do the DASS-42 items fit separate depression, anxiety and stress factors? Study design Psychometric Statistical test Confirmatory factor analysis Dataset Open Psychometrics Open TOPIC 03 Do daily stressors predict next-day negative mood? Study design Daily diary Statistical test Multilevel model Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 04 Which adults with major depression receive no treatment? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Logistic regression Dataset NSDUH Open TOPIC 05 Are students with depression more likely to report panic attacks? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Chi-square test with odds ratio Dataset Student Mental Health (Kaggle) Free login Psychology area 02 / 10
Social psychology Social psychology topics compare attitudes across groups and countries. The European Social Survey covers more than 30 countries with the same questions.
TOPIC 06 Does trust in institutions differ by age and education across Europe? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Multilevel linear regression Dataset European Social Survey Free login TOPIC 07 Do people who belong to a discriminated group report lower life satisfaction? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Multilevel linear regression Dataset European Social Survey Free login TOPIC 08 Is perceived threat linked to negative attitudes toward immigrants? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Structural equation modelling Dataset European Social Survey Free login TOPIC 09 Does loneliness predict poorer health a year later? Study design Longitudinal panel Statistical test Cross-lagged panel model Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 10 Do attitudes toward women’s roles differ across European countries? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Multilevel ordinal regression Dataset European Social Survey Free login Psychology area 03 / 10
Cognitive psychology and ageing MIDUS includes cognitive tests for thousands of adults. That makes memory and ageing topics possible without a lab.
TOPIC 11 Do adults under high stress show faster decline in cognitive scores? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Linear mixed model Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 12 Does poor sleep quality predict weaker memory in midlife? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 13 Do vocabulary and working memory scores move together across adulthood? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Correlation with moderated regression Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 14 Is binge drinking linked to serious difficulty concentrating or remembering? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Logistic regression Dataset NSDUH Open TOPIC 15 Does working memory performance differ by age and sex in midlife? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Two-way ANOVA Dataset MIDUS Free login Psychology area 04 / 10
Developmental psychology Add Health follows the same people from their teens into their forties. It is the best free source for life-course questions.
TOPIC 16 Does closeness to parents in adolescence predict depression in adulthood? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Logistic regression Dataset Add Health Free login TOPIC 17 Does conflict between parents in adolescence predict poorer adult relationships? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset Add Health Free login TOPIC 18 Does a sense of control explain the link between childhood adversity and adult health? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Mediation analysis Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 19 Does dating violence in adolescence predict depression in early adulthood? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Logistic regression with moderation Dataset Add Health Free login TOPIC 20 Which protective factors help adolescents from high-risk homes do well as adults? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Hierarchical regression Dataset Add Health Free login Psychology area 05 / 10
Organisational psychology Workplace topics link job conditions to wellbeing. The OSMI survey and Understanding Society both cover this well.
TOPIC 21 Do women in tech report more mental health stigma at work than men? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Chi-square test and logistic regression Dataset OSMI Mental Health in Tech (Kaggle) Free login TOPIC 22 Are tech workers more likely to seek treatment when their employer offers mental health benefits? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Logistic regression Dataset OSMI Mental Health in Tech (Kaggle) Free login TOPIC 23 Does working night or rotating shifts lower job satisfaction? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Ordinal logistic regression Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 24 Does caring for a relative harm wellbeing, and does gender change that? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Moderation analysis Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 25 Does job insecurity predict lower life satisfaction across Europe? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Multilevel linear regression Dataset European Social Survey Free login See the printable 50-topic PDF section
Psychology area 06 / 10
Health psychology Health psychology links mind and body. Panel data lets you test whether stress or mood comes before a health outcome.
TOPIC 26 Does perceived stress predict poorer sleep in midlife adults? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 27 Do depressive symptoms explain the link between childhood adversity and adult physical health? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Mediation analysis Dataset Add Health Free login TOPIC 28 Does optimism predict lower risk of chronic illness ten years later? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Logistic regression Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 29 Is regular physical activity linked to fewer depressive symptoms in UK adults? Study design Longitudinal panel Statistical test Fixed effects panel regression Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 30 Do adults with better mental wellbeing eat more fruit and vegetables? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset Understanding Society Free login Psychology area 07 / 10
Educational and student psychology Student wellbeing topics are quick to run. The Kaggle student file is small, clean and ready in minutes.
TOPIC 31 Is depression linked to a lower CGPA among university students? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Chi-square test and logistic regression Dataset Student Mental Health (Kaggle) Free login TOPIC 32 Do students with anxiety or depression seek specialist help? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Chi-square test Dataset Student Mental Health (Kaggle) Free login TOPIC 33 Does stress explain the link between childhood adversity and young adult life satisfaction? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Mediation analysis Dataset Add Health Free login TOPIC 34 Does feeling connected to school in adolescence predict later educational attainment? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Ordinal logistic regression Dataset Add Health Free login TOPIC 35 Does year of study change the odds of depression among students? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Logistic regression Dataset Student Mental Health (Kaggle) Free login Psychology area 08 / 10
Personality psychology Personality topics need large samples, and the free data is huge. The Kaggle Big Five file alone has more than a million responses.
TOPIC 36 Do Big Five trait scores differ across countries? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Multilevel model Dataset Big Five Personality Test (Kaggle) Free login TOPIC 37 Does the five-factor structure hold in a million online responses? Study design Psychometric Statistical test Confirmatory factor analysis Dataset Big Five Personality Test (Kaggle) Free login TOPIC 38 Does neuroticism predict depression, anxiety and stress scores? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset Open Psychometrics Open TOPIC 39 Does Machiavellianism differ by age and gender? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Two-way ANOVA Dataset Open Psychometrics Open TOPIC 40 Does conscientiousness rise with age? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Polynomial regression Dataset Open Psychometrics Open Psychology area 09 / 10
Cyberpsychology Screen time topics are popular and easy to pitch. Panel data helps you show which comes first, the screen or the mood.
TOPIC 41 Do young people who spend more hours on social media report lower wellbeing? Study design Longitudinal panel Statistical test Fixed effects panel regression Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 42 Is heavy phone or internet use linked to emotional difficulties in UK youth? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 43 Does daily internet use link to life satisfaction among older Europeans? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Multilevel linear regression Dataset European Social Survey Free login TOPIC 44 Is remote work linked to more mental health problems among tech workers? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Logistic regression Dataset OSMI Mental Health in Tech (Kaggle) Free login TOPIC 45 Do tech workers think talking about mental health would hurt their career? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Chi-square test Dataset OSMI Mental Health in Tech (Kaggle) Free login Psychology area 10 / 10
Positive psychology and wellbeing Wellbeing topics look at what helps people thrive, not only what goes wrong. They work well with life satisfaction scales in panel surveys.
TOPIC 46 Does a sense of purpose predict better health ten years later? Study design Longitudinal Statistical test Multiple linear regression Dataset MIDUS Free login TOPIC 47 Does neighbourhood belonging protect older adults’ wellbeing? Study design Cross-sectional Statistical test Moderation analysis Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 48 Is religious attendance linked to happiness across Europe? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Multilevel linear regression Dataset European Social Survey Free login TOPIC 49 Does volunteering predict higher life satisfaction? Study design Longitudinal panel Statistical test Fixed effects panel regression Dataset Understanding Society Free login TOPIC 50 Does more income still buy more happiness after a certain point? Study design Cross-sectional, multi-country Statistical test Spline regression Dataset European Social Survey Free login See the printable 50-topic PDF section
Printable psychology research guide
Get all 50 topics in one PDF Download the complete 23-page Statssy psychology guide featuring all 50 research questions, study designs, statistical methods, dataset access details and related university thesis references. The branded PDF also includes clickable website and WhatsApp links.
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Social psychology
Social psychology topics compare attitudes across groups and countries. The European Social Survey covers more than 30 countries with the same questions.
Does trust in institutions differ by age and education across Europe?
Do people who belong to a discriminated group report lower life satisfaction?
Is perceived threat linked to negative attitudes toward immigrants?
Does loneliness predict poorer health a year later?
Do attitudes toward women’s roles differ across European countries?