Non-human animals controversy
BPS guidelines for psychologists working with animals:
The BPS give guidance on how psychological research can be
conducted using non-human animals
In the past, this type of research has been used for the benefit of
learning which has been applied to improve the lives of humans e.g.
skinners rat and understanding operant conditioning
This is different in modern psychology and most psychological research
using non-human animals tends to be for the benefit of the species
The basic BPS principles are:
o Psychologists must conform to legislations in place for working
with animals e.g. Animals (scientific procedures) act
o They must heed the 3Rs outlined by the Home Office -
Replacement (Avoiding or replacing the use of animals in areas
where they otherwise would have been used), Reduction
(Minimising the number of animals used consistent with scientific
aims), Refinement (Minimising the pain, suffering, distress or
lasting harm that research animals might experience)
o Choose species that suit the research purpose
o Where possible, use alternative methods of research rather than
animals and if they are required, use the smallest number
needed
o Care for the animal even when they aren’t being studied e.g.
provide companions to social animals
o Limit procedures that cause pain and consider post study care
and ethical methods of disposal
o Ensure their food intake requirements are met
Some specific types of animals are protected by the Animals (scientific
procedures) act including dogs, cats, horses, octopi and squid
Psychologists need specific licenses provided by the home office to
conduct animal research
Most animals used in studies will be euthanised at the end
Replacement can be divided into two categories – full replacement and
partial replacement
Partial replacement includes the use of some animals that are not
considered capable of experiencing suffering such as invertebrates like
Drosophila and social amoebae
, Full replacement refers to methods that avoid the use of animals for
research and testing purposes. It includes the use of human
volunteers, tissues and cells
Reduction also includes methods which allow the information gathered
per animal in an experiment to be maximised to reduce the use of
additional animals, but it is important to ensure that reducing the
number of animals used is balanced against any additional suffering
that might be caused by their repeated use
Refinement refers to methods that minimise the pain, suffering,
distress or lasting harm that may be experienced by research animals,
and which improve their welfare. This includes factors such as their
housing and husbandry
Ethological and comparative psychology:
Ethologists study animals in their natural environment without
influencing their behaviour
Ethology existed before comparative psychology
The distinction between the two is that ethology tries to reduce animal
behaviour down to biological and physiological factors whereas
comparative psychology tries to study the role of learning as an
explanation of behaviour
The most famous ethologists worked with mainly birds and bees in
their natural habitats
Konrad Lorenz observed goslings hatching and as he was the first thing
they saw, they followed him around as though he was their mother.
This phenomenon is known as imprinting. Lorenz was essentially
responsible for coining the term ‘critical period’ which is the time in
which an infant will develop an attachment/bond with a parental figure
Dian Fossey’s work was made famous through the film ‘Gorillas in the
Mist’. She observed gorillas in their natural habitat in order to
understand their social relationships. She disproved the myth that
gorillas were a violent species and demonstrated that they are very
similar to humans
Comparative psychology is the study of non-human animals with the
intention of comparing them to humans
This type of psychology assumes that humans and animals learn in
similar ways (part of the behaviourist approach) and have similar basic
biological processes
BPS guidelines for psychologists working with animals:
The BPS give guidance on how psychological research can be
conducted using non-human animals
In the past, this type of research has been used for the benefit of
learning which has been applied to improve the lives of humans e.g.
skinners rat and understanding operant conditioning
This is different in modern psychology and most psychological research
using non-human animals tends to be for the benefit of the species
The basic BPS principles are:
o Psychologists must conform to legislations in place for working
with animals e.g. Animals (scientific procedures) act
o They must heed the 3Rs outlined by the Home Office -
Replacement (Avoiding or replacing the use of animals in areas
where they otherwise would have been used), Reduction
(Minimising the number of animals used consistent with scientific
aims), Refinement (Minimising the pain, suffering, distress or
lasting harm that research animals might experience)
o Choose species that suit the research purpose
o Where possible, use alternative methods of research rather than
animals and if they are required, use the smallest number
needed
o Care for the animal even when they aren’t being studied e.g.
provide companions to social animals
o Limit procedures that cause pain and consider post study care
and ethical methods of disposal
o Ensure their food intake requirements are met
Some specific types of animals are protected by the Animals (scientific
procedures) act including dogs, cats, horses, octopi and squid
Psychologists need specific licenses provided by the home office to
conduct animal research
Most animals used in studies will be euthanised at the end
Replacement can be divided into two categories – full replacement and
partial replacement
Partial replacement includes the use of some animals that are not
considered capable of experiencing suffering such as invertebrates like
Drosophila and social amoebae
, Full replacement refers to methods that avoid the use of animals for
research and testing purposes. It includes the use of human
volunteers, tissues and cells
Reduction also includes methods which allow the information gathered
per animal in an experiment to be maximised to reduce the use of
additional animals, but it is important to ensure that reducing the
number of animals used is balanced against any additional suffering
that might be caused by their repeated use
Refinement refers to methods that minimise the pain, suffering,
distress or lasting harm that may be experienced by research animals,
and which improve their welfare. This includes factors such as their
housing and husbandry
Ethological and comparative psychology:
Ethologists study animals in their natural environment without
influencing their behaviour
Ethology existed before comparative psychology
The distinction between the two is that ethology tries to reduce animal
behaviour down to biological and physiological factors whereas
comparative psychology tries to study the role of learning as an
explanation of behaviour
The most famous ethologists worked with mainly birds and bees in
their natural habitats
Konrad Lorenz observed goslings hatching and as he was the first thing
they saw, they followed him around as though he was their mother.
This phenomenon is known as imprinting. Lorenz was essentially
responsible for coining the term ‘critical period’ which is the time in
which an infant will develop an attachment/bond with a parental figure
Dian Fossey’s work was made famous through the film ‘Gorillas in the
Mist’. She observed gorillas in their natural habitat in order to
understand their social relationships. She disproved the myth that
gorillas were a violent species and demonstrated that they are very
similar to humans
Comparative psychology is the study of non-human animals with the
intention of comparing them to humans
This type of psychology assumes that humans and animals learn in
similar ways (part of the behaviourist approach) and have similar basic
biological processes
