Psychology2016

The Science of Psychology 37

Animal Research

1.11 Explain why psychologists sometimes use animals in their research.

Psychologists also study animals to find out about behavior, often drawing comparisons
between what the animals do and what people might do under similar conditions.

But why not just study people in the first place?

Some research questions are extremely important but difficult or impossible to answer
by using human participants. Animals live shorter lives, so looking at long-term effects
becomes much easier. Animals are also easier to control—the scientist can control diet, living
arrangements, and even genetic relatedness. The white laboratory rat has become a recognized
species different from ordinary rats, bred with its own kind for many decades until each white
rat is essentially a little genetic “twin” of all the others. Animals also engage in much simpler
behavior than humans do, making it easier to see the effects of manipulations. But the biggest
reason that researchers use animals in some research is that animals can be used in ways that
researchers could never use people. For example, it took a long time for scientists to prove that
the tars and other harmful substances in tobacco cause cancer, because they had to do correla-
tional studies with people and experiments only with animals. There’s the catch—researchers
can do many things to animals that they can’t do to people. That might seem cruel at first, but
when you think that without animal research there would be no vaccines for deadly diseases,
no insulin treatments for diabetics, no transplants, and so on, then the value of the research and
its benefits to humankind far outweigh the hazards to which the research animals are exposed.
Still, some animal rights activists disagree with this point of view.
There are also ethical considerations when dealing with animals in research, just as
there are with humans. With animals, though, the focus is on avoiding exposing them to
any unnecessary pain or suffering. So if surgery is part of the study, it is done under anes-
thesia. If the research animal must die for the effects of some drug or other treatment to
be examined in a necropsy (autopsy performed on an animal), the death must be accom-
plished humanely. Animals are used in only about 7 percent of all psychological studies
(Committee on Animal Research and Ethics, 2004).

© The New Yorker Collection 1999 Tom Chalkley

from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.

Concept Map LO. 1.10, 1.11

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Ethics of Psychological Research

(psychological scientists have a primary goal of protecting the health and welfare of their animal or human participants)

guidelines

for research

with humans

research

with animals

rights and well-being of participants must be weighed against the study's value to science

participants must be allowed to make an informed decision about participating (informed consent)

deception must be justified

participants may withdraw from the study at any time

investigator must debrief participants, telling the true nature of the study and expectations of results

participants must be protected from risks or told explicitly of risks

data must remain confidential

some research questions are important but can be difficult

or dangerous to answer with human participants

animals are easier to control

animals have shorter lives; easier to study long-term effects

any animal research is also covered by ethical considerations;

primary focus is on avoiding any unnecessary pain or suffering

why use animals?