Animal Testing Flashcards
what are the 3 R’s?
Reduction
Refinement
Replacement
how is the number of animals used reduced
improving experimental techniques
improving techniques of data analysis
sharing information with other researchers
What is refinement
refining the experiment or the way the animals are cared for so as to reduce their suffering
how does refinement occur
using less invasive techniques
better medical care
better living conditions
What are the 3 R’s for?
a set of principles that scientists are encouraged to follow in order to reduce the impact of research on animals
they must consider each one to ensure using animals is the only way to conduct research
who set criteria for for psychologists who use animals in research
The Scientific Procedures Act (1986) and the Home Office
how were animals treated previous to The Scientific Procedures Act (1986)
seen as research objects
some research would disregard the welfare of the animal in order to find scientific conclusions
The Scientific Procedures Act (1986)
covers all animal research
relates to any ‘scientific procedure that may cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm to a protected animal’
what animals come under the term ‘protected animals’
all non-human vertebrates and a single invertebrate species (the octopus)
Animal Welfare Act (2006)
discusses more general duties of care towards animals
psychologists are also directed to follow this act
The Animal Welfare Act (2006) in regards to breeding and testing
has rules regarding breeding and testing
e.g.
animals who have undergone general anaesthetics cannot be used for more procedures
The Animal Welfare Act (2006) in regards to the psychologists responsibility to care for animals when they are not being used in the study.
animal should have suitable accommodation and environment
suitable food water and space to maintain its well-being
researchers should consider ways to reduce potential distress when caging animals
The Animal Welfare Act (2006) in regards to protecting animals during research
work must be carried out in a scientific procedure establishment
procedures must be carried out by someone holding a project license
The 4 main aims of animal ethical guidelines
Avoid/ minimise discomfort
discuss research with colleagues and H.O inspectors
Do the ends justify the mean
consider alternatives
6 factors which must be followed before, during and after the study when animal participants are used.
The Law
Food deprivation - may not cause suffering
Electric shocks
Pain, distress and surgery
Understanding Species Differences
Minimum no. of animals & endangered species
Cost-Benefit analysis
6 factors - The Law
laws protect the rights of non-human animals
anyone who fails to comply with these laws can be prosecuted
permission to work with animals is granted by the Home Office by license only under very specific conditions
6 factors - food deprivation
it must not cause suffering
Gray (1987) - rates are either fed once daily, following experimentation or are maintained at 85% of their free-feeding body weight
6 factors - electric shocks
electric shock may cause some, but not extreme pain
6 factors - pain, distress and surgery
without an HO licence and relevant certificates, procedures causing pain, distress or involving surgery are illegal
must be able to show that there are no alternative ways of conducting the experiment
6 factors - understanding species differences in relation to
caging and social environment
the stress caused to wild animals when marking them
whether the animal should be in a social setting
disturbance of non human animals should be kept to a minimum
6 factors - minimum number of animals and endangered species
if animal’s studies are to be conducted they must only use the minimum number of animals required to produce valid and reliable results
6 factors - cost-benefit analysis - 3 main criteria that should be taken into account regarding the justifiability of research
the quality of research
the amount of suffering
the likelihood of benefit
Bateson’s decision cube 1988
must be a high level of the quality of research
must be a high certainty of benefit against a low level of suffering
researchers must be able to justify the cost/ harm to the animals in relation to the likely benefits of the research
ethological methods are designed to
provide insight about animals as often and as naturally as possible`
what percentage of psychological research uses animals according to the American Psychological Association
8%
what percentage of animals used in experiments are rodents and birds
90%
what percentage of animals used in experiments are primates
5%
why are rodents most commonly used in experiments
low cost
small & easy to handle
easy to breed
allows study of multiple generations at the same time
reasons why animals are studied to understand human behaviour
results can be generalised
allows research that would be unethical on humans
convenience & practicality
lab experiments allow for precise control and measurement of variables
what animals are used to study genes associated with abnormalities in humans
mice
what type of animal is used to study antipsychotic drugs - to see how they change the brain itself
rats
what type of animal is used to study stress to find changed in neurotransmitters
mice
what type of animals are used to study stress to see what effect having control over the situation has
monkeys
what type of animal is used to study sleep deprivation
rats
what type of animal is used to study memory
rats
define animal experiment
any scientific procedure that may cause pain, suffering, distress or harm to a protected animal
why is the credibility of animal studies seen as low
hard to extrapolate or generalise findings
evolutionary discontinuity
why do some people reject the argument of evolutionary continuity
often for religious reasons
anthropomorphism and how does this affect animal studies
the tendency to believe that an animals behaviour is due to the same type of thinking and reasoning as humans
animal studies are often criticised for this
ethical weaknesses regarding animal studies
they are not sufficiently different from humans to be treated as objects
many animals feel pain
animals are not in their natural surroundings - distressing conditions
what does ant-speciesism suggest about research
research focuses on the benefits from humans and not animals which is unfair
practical (GRAV) strengths of research
drugs have been developed which otherwise could not have been
procedures can be carried out on humans that cannot be done on animals
some procedures require strict control over the environment which may not be possible with humans
short gestation periods of some animals - multiple generations can be studied at the same time
drugs have been developed which benefit both humans and animals
what does the short gestation period of some animals mean
multiple generations can be studied at the same time
what does the similar brain structure of some animals (e.g. mice) allow
generalisation of findings
ethical strengths regarding animal studies
pro-speciesism
knowledge obtained may also improve the lives of the species being tested on
pro-speciesism
we ought to do all we can to protect our own species
practical (GRAV) weaknesses of research
different brain structure to humans - not generalisable
some diseases being studied have to be replicated using drugs so may not be the same as the disease itself - lacks validity
thalidomide showed negative outcomes for humans but not for animals - generalisiability issues
human lives are complex and factors rarely occur in isolation - application to real life
agree - evolutionary continuity
humans and animals are basically the same but at different stages of evolution
agree - ethical restrictions with humans
the use of animals instead of humans allows the use of procedures which could not be done with humans
agree - convenience
animals:
reproduce more rapidly
easier to control
easier to conduct experiments on
short life span
how is the short life span of animals good for research
studies of genetics and life span changes are more practical
agree - benefit to animals
beneficial research ranges from pest control to protection of endangered species
against -extrapolation (relevance)
humans are unique
evolutionary discontinuity
against - anthropomorphism
the tendency to believe that animal and human behaviour are due to the same type of thinking, feeling and reasoning as humans
against - animal suffering
animal suffering would not arise if they were simply not used in experiments
against - use of alternative opportunities
e.g.
computer simulations
human volunteers
advanced biology - stem cell research
