Animal Ethics

• Cost-Benefit Model: Means that research which breaks some Guidelines sometimes might be allowable if the benefits seem to outweigh the "costs" in terms of animal suffering.
• The 3 Rs:

  1. Reduce
  2. Reuse
  3. Refine
• Refine: the way experiments are carried out, to make sure animals suffer as little as possible. This includes better housing and improvements which minimise pain and suffering.
• Reduce: the number of animals used to a minimum; in a well-designed study, the maximum data can be extracted from the minimal number of animals.
• Replace: the use of animals with different techniques; virtual simulations on computers or studying videos of past research are recommended.
• Animal Welfare Act (1964): The first law protecting laboratory animals in Britain.
• Home Office Inspectorate: Responsible for inspecting all places where procedures involving live animals take place.
• Bateson decision making cube:  a convenient way of weighing up ethical decisions about animals in research
• The three sides of the Bateson decision making cube are:

  1. The degree of animal suffering: ethical research minimises this
  2. The benefits of the findings: ethical research will have clear benefits
  3. The quality of the research: ethical research will be highly valid and reliable
• Guidelines for Psychologists Working with Animals (2012).

  • Legal Requirements: Must not break the law
  • Replacement: Use something other than an animal
  • Choice of Species: NO endangered animals
  • Reduction: use the smallest amount of animals possible for the research
  • Animal Care: High-quality of care
  • Disposal
  • Procedures: must be treated humanely in research process