1. Research Methods Animal research Brain p255 Ethical Issues Practical Issues

2. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007 link

3. According to the American Psychological Association about 8% of psychological research involves the use of animals; this is most likely to be in the USA.
A number of species are used.
Around 90% of which are rodents and birds, mainly rats, mice and pigeons.
Only around 5% of the animals are primates; cats and dogs are studied rarely.

4. Animals used
Area studied
Mice
Genes associated with abnormalities in humans – to gain understanding of such issues
Rats
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease – and gene therapy to see if it could work
Antipsychotic drugs – to see how they change the brain itself (both it’s structure and the nervous system)
Stress – to find changes in neurotransmitters to gain understanding
Monkeys
Stress – to see what effect having control over the situation has
Rodents
Exercise – to see if it helps prevent the processes of ageing
Memory – to see what parts of the brain perform which function
Sleep deprivation – to see its effects

5. Do the ends ever justify the means?
Each person will have their own views on this. Is the animal suffering caused by certain types of research outweighed by the benefits to humanity? Bateson (1986) expressed this as a 3D graph

6. Bateson cube
Draw this on p18 of your Biological Pack

7. The cube has 3 axes measuring suffering, certainty of benefit and quality of research.
If the research is high quality, certain to be beneficial and not going to inflict suffering then it will fall into the hollow section (top front) meaning research should proceed.
Painful, low quality research with lower likelihood of success will be bottom back in the solid and should not proceed.
Most research will not be clear cut but the rule is solid should not continue, hollow should.
The problem of course is how to determine benefit in advance.  Also who will decide on quality of research and the level of suffering?  Both of which are subjective measures.

8. Many scientists believe that using animals for research purposes is completely justifiable
YES NO
NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH THIS HOWEVER

9. The 3 Rs
Replacement of animals by other methods such as computer models and simulations.
2. Reduction in the number of animals used.  More advanced statistical methods can be used allowing significant results based on lower numbers.  Sharing of information between institutions allows the number of replications to be reduced.
3. Refinement of experimental methods to inflict less pain and suffering.

10. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
States: Psychologists must adhere to the legal requirements of the country they are working in. Psychologists have to be aware of endangered species or threatened species and act appropriately. Research must be prefaced with a covering letter stating this.

11. Replacing use of animals
Videos and computer simulations have to be used where possible.
Ideal for teaching situations.
e.g. Ratlife and Sniffy the Rat

13. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Choice of species and strain
Species should be carefully chosen to ensure effectiveness with minimal suffering-knowledge of species and history of individual animals vital
Choices have to be justified on project licence application
Different strains of rodents are physiologically different and need to be chosen carefully.
Transgenic mice may be used as no harm to organism is observed.

15. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Number of animals
1986 Act-legally required to use smallest number of animals possible
National Centre for 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement and Reduction) can provide advice on how the use of better methodologies/designs and statistical analysis can help achieve this.

16. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Procedures
Project licence
Registered establishment
Personal licence
Local ethical review process (Committee)
Home Office
Identify costs to animals in reports/journals

17. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Procedures (contd)
Housing- caging needs to take into account the social behaviour of species
Reward, deprivation, aversive stimulation- periods of deprivation of food should be short and species specific
Aggression and predation- natural encounters preferable if staged animals should be protected
Fieldwork- should not disturb the ecosystem or interrupt species reproduction and survival
Anaesthesia, analgesia and euthanasia- animals should have access to pain relief and be destroyed humanely if suffering

18. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Procurement
Home Office Designated Breeding and Supply Establishments.
Wild caught animals- refer to ASAB website

19. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Animal Care
Housing and husbandry conditions must be within guidelines
Captive animals should be kept in conditions closely resembling their natural conditions as much as possible
Need to foster habituation to minimise stress
Animal care personnel must be trained

20. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Disposing of animals
Distribute to other colleagues if deemed possible by home office
If disposed of- it must be done humanely
Death must be confirmed before disposal
Vets must be consulted

21. BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
Animals in psychology teaching
Teachers have a responsibility to educate pupils on ethical issues
Coursework on animals may be possible but tests to show known facts are prohibited
Use of film/video should be encouraged
Undergraduates must work within a project licence
Post graduates need personal licence

22. Sometimes it is hard to justify!
Sometimes it is hard to justify!
Harry Harlow
Rhesus monkeys
Removed from mothers at birth and given surrogates, usually made from wire or terry cloth. 
Distress caused during procedure.  Unable to develop normal social relationships with other members of species.  Picked on by other monkeys who see them as very submissive and timid. 
Questioned the psychodynamic and behaviourist theories of attachment since it suggests food was not crucial.  Evidence for the long term effects of privation.

23. Tasks for lesson 1
1: Make sure you have read and evaluated the Caster Study in your pack (p17)
This is an example of one type of research that uses animals.
2: Sort the statement slips into practical and ethical arguments for and against using animals in research.
Write down some of the key arguments
4: Complete the activity on p20 of your pack
5: Complete the gap fill on p19 of your pack
6: Answer the exam question on p21 of your pack