BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
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 reseach outweighed by the benefits to humanity?
• Bateson (1986) expressed this as a 3D graph see text book page 154-156
Bateson cube
• 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 subjective measures.measures.
The 3 Rs1. 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.
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.
• 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
BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
• Choice of species and strainSpecies 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.
BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
• Number of animals1986 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.
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
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
BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
• Procurement
Home Office Designated Breeding and Supply Establishments.
Wild caught animals- refer to ASAB website
BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
• Animal CareHousing 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
BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
• Disposing of animalsDistribute 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
BPS Guidelines for Psychologists working with animals-2007
• Animals in psychology teachingTeachers have a responsibility to
educate pupils on ethical issuesCoursework 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
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.
Over to you• Read and make key point notes from your
text book
Complete the HW sheet using the BPS guidelines on ILearn