Ethics of Animal Research in Psychology

Animal research—studies on human behaviour through using nonhuman participants as models to explain why and how we behave the way we do, has been a controversial topic within the field of psychology. 

According to Humane Society International, an estimated 115 million animals are used globally  in animal research every year. While these studies are critical for understanding the underlying mechanisms behind behaviour and advancing the welfare of both human and nonhuman animals, it poses the question of whether it is ethically correct to even use a nonhuman animal as our test subject in the first place. 

Why We Use It

To understand the reason why we need animal research, we first need to understand  the Theory of Evolution. Proposed by Charles Darwin, it posits that all living organisms (including animals and humans) share a distant common ancestor. This means that all living organisms all have common ancestry, or simpler terms, share a certain amount of DNA or genetics. 

This is key for animal research because common ancestry between species as understanding how natural selection leads to evolution and adaptation in various species can help inform researchers about similarities and differences in biological mechanisms and systems between species and provide a broader context for behavioural studies in psychology. 

Animal Models

Historically, research on behaviourism drew strongly from these models as it reduced risk of causing harm to a human when conducting behavioural experiments, with different animal models being used depending on the context of the research. 

However, these models are associated with one of the following categories (Hau, 2008):

• Induced Models (Experimental) - to induce a specific condition or disease in animals via external interventions (ex: exposure to chemical / surgical procedures / environmental factors).

  • Useful for studying the effects of controlled manipulations on biological systems. 

• Spontaneous Models (Genetic / Mutant) - involve animals that naturally exhibit a specific genetic mutation or trait that mimics a human condition or disease.

  • Valuable for studying the genetic basis of diseases and understanding the underlying mechanisms. 

• Genetically Modified Models - animals that have been genetically engineered to possess specific genetic alterations by adding, deleting, or modifying genes.

  • Key for understanding the role of specific genes in disease development and progression.

• Negative Models - animals that do not exhibit a particular trait or disease.

  • Act as a control group to provide a baseline for comparison between other models. 

• Orphan Models - refers to animal models that do not fit neatly into the above categories. 

Evaluation of Animal Research

Pros	Cons
Advances psychological knowledge on the relationship between the brain, genetics and behaviour from a biological perspective Animals serve as models for studying human conditions (ex: cognitive disorders), providing insights into underlying mechanisms and potential treatments No alternative method to mimic complex chemical and biological interactions that occur in a living system	Raises concerns animal welfare, who are forced to undergo suffering and stress when being experimented on through cruel and inhuman practices Difficult to generalise and apply findings to humans as humans have much more complexed systems compared to animals

If this topic piqued your interest, check out THIS insightful video for more information! 

Works Cited

Capitanio, J. (2017). Animal studies in psychology. American Psychological Association. [online] Jan. Available at: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2017/01/animal-studies [Accessed 25 Jan. 2025].

Cassimally, K.A. (2011). Common Ancestry: We Come From One | Labcoat Life | Learn Science at Scitable. [online] Nature Education. Available at: https://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/labcoat-life/common_ancestry_we_come_from/ [Accessed 25 Jan. 2025].

Fell, A. (2022). Revealing the Genome of the Common Ancestor of All Mammals. [online] UC Davis. Available at: https://www.ucdavis.edu/curiosity/news/revealing-genome-common-ancestor-all-mammals [Accessed 25 Jan. 2025].

Humane Society International (2012). About Animal Testing. [online] Humane Society International. Available at: https://www.hsi.org/news-resources/about/ [Accessed 25 Jan. 2025].

Kiani, A.K. (2022). Ethical Considerations regarding Animal Experimentation. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, 63(2 Suppl 3), pp.E255–E266. doi:https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2S3.2768.

Pen, M. (2012). Psychology Research: Psychological Research On Animals. [online] Owlcation. Available at: https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Psychology-Research-Psychological-Research-On-Animals [Accessed 25 Jan. 2025].

Stanford Medicine (2023). Why Animal Research? [online] Animal Research at Stanford. Available at: https://med.stanford.edu/animalresearch/why-animal-research.html [Accessed 25 Jan. 2025].