Animal models Flashcards
What percentage of psychological research is done on animals? (1)
~ 7.5%
List 3 popular animals used in research (3)
- Rats, mice, (1)
- Pigeons, cats, rabbits, hamsters, dogs, (1)
- Chimpanzees, baboons (1)
What is the purpose of the comparative psychology field? (3)
The field is interested in
animal research (1) by either
focusing on a particular species (1) or compare this
species to humans (1)
What is the expectation of using animals as human models?
Findings will be universal and generalizable to humans
Can we obtain knowledge on human diseases through animal models? If so how? If not why? (5)
There is a possibility of obtaining knowledge on the topic of certain diseases by observing a species with said disease (1) over it’s short life span (1), or how certain factors affect the diseased sample (1). However, animal physiology can differ from the animal sample (1) thus prohibiting us to directly generalize findings to humans (1)
What is the concept of an animal model? (3)
The use of animal research to test a certain cause–effect hypothesis about a certain human behavior (2).
An animal model is not just broadly using
animals to understand human behavior (1). It is
a specific model.
What are the four major types of experimental
manipulation used in animal models (6)
-Genetic manipulation (when animals are bred
in a certain way)
-Invasive manipulations with the nervous
system (parts of the brain are stimulated with
electrodes, lesioned or removed)
-Invasive manipulations with other body parts
(parts may be stimulated by substances or
damaged)
-Behavioral and environmental manipulations
(such as electric shocks for rats depending
on their performance in a maze-learning task).
(4) all points (2) all understanding
Why is it said that the deeper we go into the brain the more “primitive” structures we will find? (2)
As species evolved (1), new structures were built on top of older structures (1)
Explain the Triune brain theory (5)
This theory by MacLean (1990) (1) divides the human brain into three parts: (2)
-Reptilian complex, [deepest in brain]
-Paleomammalian complex (the limbic system),
-Neocortex. [closest to surface]
The idea is that the deeper brain
structures can be found in animals as well (1); and
the further down you go inside the brain, the
further down you see in evolution (1)
What evidence against the Triune brain theory and similar is there? (5)
The discovery of microscopic differences between animals and humans in certain brain areas (2). For example, some brain areas that both humans and primates have in common were found to be different in terms of how neurons are structured within them (2). This suggests that the evolution of the brain might have
been more complex than simply building newer
structures upon older structures (1)
What does it mean to look at psychological functions?
To look at the problem from
the cognitive and the social perspective
Discuss and explain Premack’s (2007) comparison (5)
Focus on the important areas of difference between humans and animals relevant to psychological research (1). Every time we find a similarity, we need to ask ourselves: what is the dissimilarity (1)?
-Animals predominantly teach one thing—eating,
while in humans the targets of teaching are very
diverse (1). There is a similarity in that animals and humans teach their young (1), but humans have a much more complex method (1).
Advantages of animal models (6)
- Humans and animals are identical in many
ways, both in terms of brain structure and
genetically
-Useful models of human behavior
and life-saving treatments have been
developed based on animal experimentation - Laboratory mice live 2–3 years and this
presents an opportunity to see their behavior
across their lifespan and even across
generations
-Animal research may be highly controlled leading to higher internal validity of
experiments
-Animal subjects are relatively inexpensive - Animal subjects are easily accessible, easy to handle and manage.
Disadvantages of animal models (5)
-Animals and humans are never exactly the
same, therefore findings still needs to be replicated with humans in order to be sure that findings are
generalizable
-Difference in physiology
-Results from animal models are
never directly applied to humans. Even if
models yield successful results, the research must be repeated with a variety of species closer to the size of humans
- laboratory environments may put samples under stress. As a result, their reactions to experimental manipulations may not be quite the same as in their natural environments: there may be an issue with
ecological validity.
-Positive results in animals may not mean positive results in humans, like wise negative results in animals may not mean negative results in humans.
Ethical considerations of using animal models (8)
-Clear scientific purpose
-The chosen species is
the best choice to address the research question,
the minimum required number of non-human
participants is used
-Ethics Committee
-Familiar with the species
-Humane care
-Minimal discomfort
-Euthanizing when in chronic pain
-Animals reared in the laboratory must not be
released into the wild
