In scientific research, how does one become a researcher rather than a technician?

seems very good, I'd just like to add that in order to accomplish that you'll probably need to read (more) research papers in the field (and textbooks on background if available and necessary). Or if you want to keep thinking like a technician, find another supervisor, there should be a plenty of those who prefer that because such students produce most data while bothering them least (usually senior full professors with big groups, but you never know until you ask them or probably better their current students). Of course, then you can't hope to become a research group leader later, but (especially if you become very good at some highly specialized technical skill(s)) you can still become a staff scientist or an industrial researcher - and in most disciplines those are more in demand (and staff scientists can work less hours and industrial researchers are often better paid).

As many here have stated, researchers seek to find answers to questions, which is a broad generalization because "research" is done in different ways for different reasons. Yet the quest for information, truth, discovery, clarity, proof....it's always the endeavor when one commences research. I love it. Technicians ostensibly put into action the results of what researchers have discovered & developed. Perhaps on a higher level they may be testing the new ideas in action, monitoring what is happening but it's really just analysis. That's not unimportant but it's very different from research. Do you feel ready to research? Do you want to? It sounds like your training has you thinking more from an analytical standpoint from which perhaps valuable information can be collected, organized, studied and shared. There is value in doing that too! Decide what you like & what you feel like you fit best right now. We do well at what we like doing the most. Good luck!

Focus on being an "idea guy" or the one asking the driving questions. Although you still will have to pay your dues in the lab, people will take heed of your curiosity and it should reward itself.

Do a PhD, then you will become a legitimate researcher. The training will teach you how to be an independent researcher, learn all the needed tools and suffer all the necessary pains.

From my understanding a graduate degree (generally Ph.D.) is the only way to do this. I work in an academic lab and there is a guy working in a nearby lab who was essentially pushed out of his Ph.D. program many years ago. He has been working in the lab for over thirty years, has a wealth of experience and an immense understanding of the techniques, literature et c. but the M.D.s and Ph.d.s ignore all his ideas because he does not have a graduate degree.