Animals and lab experiments

Question 1

Why is it often better to use animals instead of humans?

Answer 1

Easier to isolate the stimulus and measure a response using animals and ethical considerations are also reduced

Question 2

are animal and human lab experiments the same?

Answer 2

Yes in the sense the same things are manipulated and observed to establish cause and effect

Question 3

When are animals used?

Answer 3

When the IV is could cause harm so would be unethical to do to humans

Question 4

Strength regarding control?

Answer 4

animals can have all aspects of their lives controlled for the purpose of the experiment so no other variable is responsible for the changed behaviour (Skinners Box)

Question 5

Strength regarding breeding?

Answer 5

you can breed animals that are genetically similar so you can remove chance of individual differences affecting the results

Question 6

Strength regarding demand characteristics?

Answer 6

Animals will not show them as they don’t come with past history or a desire to please so changes in behaviour are more experimentally valid

Question 7

Weakness regarding difference from humans and animals/

Answer 7

• Many would argue that humans are to different from other species to be able to generalise the findings
• For example we are the only species to have evolved a complex language