Animals in Research

Question 1

Differences in animals and human in psychology research

Answer 1

Animals:
- Housed and fed throughout the experiments
- Driven by instincts, fewer thoughts and less reasoning
- Research techniques such as drugs, amputation and lesioning can be used
Humans:
- Driven by instinct but can also utilise reasoning
- More complicated thoughts, culture, background, childhood experience call factors into human behaviour
- Research method such as questionnaires

Question 2

Why are animals used in research instead of humans?

Answer 2

• Can be done where humans cannot be used
• Due to ethical issues damage can occur in studying lesions or causing brain damage
• Animal studies are more controllable
• They are have more predictable behaviours, therefore we can test effects for reliability
• Animals behave in predictable ways, so we can test them and compare results

Question 3

Green (1994)

Answer 3

• Suggests that the basic physiology of humans and animal brains are similar enough to warrant some comparison
• The internal biochemistry works in the same way, through the release of similar basic hormones and neurotransmitters
• These affect neurons and the endocrine system in comparable ways

Question 4

Problems using animal in research

Answer 4

• Humans have cultural/social reasons behind their behaviours
• Peer pressure, academic pressure etc
• Animals don’t experience these so the way that animals respond may not be applicable to humans
• Animals are different from humans due to intellectual capabilities, effects of current, inherent difference
• The human brains are much bigger relative to body size compared other species as our cortical areas are the most developed
• Our decision making, impulse control and complex thoughts are developed

Question 5

Animal ethics

Answer 5

• Cannot use endangered species in psychological research
• Researchers carrying out research on animals must have a personal license which is only given after training to ensure they are competent in their procedure
• They are required to minimise any pain suffering and distress the animal may experience
• Any projects must have a project license that states the species involved and the number of animals used (only given if benefits outweigh the risk)

Question 6

Bateson’s Cube

Answer 6

• Quality of Research, Certainty of benefit, Animal suffering
• The research is only applicable if it fits into the hollow sections of the cube

Question 7

The 3R principles

Answer 7

• Replace
• Reduce
• Refine

Question 8

Replace

Answer 8

• Only utilise animals studies if you are unable to avoid doing so or use replacements such as:
• Humans, tissues and cells, mathematical and computer models
• We can also use animals that are not considered capable of experience suffering such as worms

Question 9

Reduce

Answer 9

• A method to allow the information gathered per animals in an experiment to be maximised in order to reduce the use of additional animals such as using a repeated measured design
• Sharing data and resources