Animal Ethics Flashcards
What act sets the guidelines for the use of animals in psychology?
The scientific procedures act- Animal act (1986)
What are the 8 guidelines a researcher must follow when working with animals?
1) Housing and care
2) Isolation and crowding
3) Number of animals
4) Anaesthesia and Euthanasia
5) Wild animals
6) Ethics and legislation
7) Suppliers
8) Reward and deprivation
Summarise the ‘housing and care’ guideline.
Animals must be sufficiently housed and given enough food and water.
Summarise the ‘Anaesthesia and Euthanasia’ guideline.
Animals should be protected from pain and put down if necessary.
Summarise the ‘Ethics and Legislation’ guideline.
Cost to animals must be justified by the benefit to society.
Summarise the ‘Number of animals used’ guideline.
The amount of animals used must be kept at a minimum.
Summarise the ‘Wild animals’ guideline.
Lab-born animals are preferred over wild animals.
Summarise the ‘Suppliers’ guideline.
Animals must be sourced from a Home Office registered supplier.
Summarise the ‘Isolation and crowding’ guideline.
Isolation should be avoided for social animals.
Summarise the ‘Reward and Deprivation’ guideline.
When reward or removing food from animals their usual diet should be considered.
What are the 3R’s the home officer requires before a study can take place?
Replacing
Reducing
Refining
Summarise the Home office’s ‘Replacing’ requirement.
Alternative animals with little self-awareness should be used if possible.
Summarise the Home Office’s ‘Reducing’ requirement.
Involves using the minimum amount of animals possible.
Summarise the Home Office’s ‘Refining’ requirement.
Minimising the amount of suffering by adapting the procedure.
Name 3 strengths of animal research.
1) High control= Lab experiment giving the study high internal validity
2) No demand characteristics, as animals aren’t self-aware they cannot guess the aims of the research.
3) Ethics: more ethical than human testing (provides an alternative that benefits society)
