Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

36 CHAPTER 1 Introduction and Research MethodsIN FOCUSQuestions About the Use of Animals in Psychological ResearchThe use of nonhuman animal subjects in psychological and otherresearch is based on the premise that human life is intrin sicallymore valuable than animal life. Not everyone agrees with thisposition (see Herzog, 2005).The American Psychological Association (1996) condones theuse of animals in psychological research under certain conditions.First, research using animal subjects must have an acceptablescientific purpose. Second, there must be a reasonableexpectation that the research will (a) increase knowledge aboutbehavior, (b) increase understanding of the species under study,or (c) produce results that benefit the health or welfare ofhumans or other animals.What standards must psychologists meet in usinganimal subjects?The American Psychological Association publishes the Guidelinesfor Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals, which youcan read at: www.apa.org/science/anguide.html. The APA Guidelinesfor animal care have been praised as being the most comprehensiveset of guidelines of their kind. In addition, psychologistsmust adhere to federal and state laws governing the use andcare of research animals (Garnett, 2005).How common is the use of animal subjects inpsychology research?Contrary to what many people in the general public believe, themajority of psychology research involves human subjects, not animals.In fact, more than 90 percent of psychology research useshuman participants as the subjects. Non human animals are usedin only about 7 to 8 percent of psychological studies conductedin a given year. About 90 percent of the animals used in psychologicalresearch are rodents and birds, primarily rats, mice, andpigeons. Only about 5 percent of the animals are monkeys andother primates. Use of dogs or cats is rare in psychological studies.The rest of the total includes a wide variety of creatures,from bats to sea snails (APA Committee on Animal Research andEthics, 2008).2. Animal subjects are sometimes used for research thatcould not feasibly be conducted on human subjects.There are many similarities between human and animal behavior,but animal behavior tends to be less complex. Thus, it is sometimeseasier to identify basic principles of behavior by studying animals.Psychologists can also observe some animals throughout their entirelifespan. To track such changes in humans would take decades ofresearch. Finally, psychologists can exercise greater control over animalsubjects than over human subjects. If necessary, researchers cancontrol every aspect of the animals’ environment and even theirgenetic background (Ator, 2005).In what areas of psychology has research usinganimals produced valuable information?Psychological research with animal subjects has made essentialcontributions to virtually every area of psychology. Animalresearch has contributed to psychological knowledge in theareas of neuroscience, learning, memory, cogni tion, motivation,psychological disorders, therapies, and stress. Research withanimals has produced significant gains in the treatment of manyconditions, including substance abuse, spinal cord injury, hypertension,and sleep disorders (see Carroll & Overmier, 2001). Significantgains have also been made in helping animals, includingthe successful breeding and preservation of endangered species,improvements in the care of zoo animals, and the prevention ofanimal diseases (Swaisgood, 2007).Why are animals used in psychological research?Here are a few of the key reasons that psychologists might useanimal subjects rather than human subjects in research:1. Many psychologists are interested in the study ofanimal behavior for its own sake.The branch of psychology that focuses on the study of the behaviorof nonhuman animals is called comparative psychology. Somepsychologists also do research in animal cognition, which isthe study of animal learning, memory, thinking, and language(Wasserman & Zentall, 2006).Animal research is also pursued for its potential benefit to animalsthemselves. For example, psychological research on animalbehavior has been used to improve the quality of life of animalsin zoos and to increase the likelihood of survival of endangeredspecies in the wild (Swaisgood, 2007).Comparative psychologist Rebecca Snyder is the curator of giantpanda research and management at Zoo Atlanta. Collaboratingwith scientists at the Chengdu Zoo in the Sichuan province inChina, Snyder and her colleagues (2003) have studied topics asdiverse as mother-cub interactions, play behavior in cubs, andreproductive behavior in adult pandas. Knowledge gained fromsuch research not only improves the quality of life of pandas inzoos, but also can be applied to conservation efforts in the wild(Maple, 2007, 2006). Many zoos consult comparative psychologiststo help design appropriate housing and enrichmentactivities for all sorts of animals. For more on the giant pandapsychological and behavioral research at Zoo Atlanta, visit:www.zooatlanta.org/conservation_giant_panda_research.htm