Research Exercise Animal Research: Guidelines and Ethical Considerations

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

Research Exercise

Animal Research: Guidelines and Ethical Considerations

The American Psychological Association (APA) has established guidelines for Animal Research to ensure the humane treatment of animals during experimentation. Animals are commonly used in psychological studies, usually in analogue or laboratory experimental settings, in which it would be difficult to study the construct or topic of interest in a human population. Psychologists must consider the benefit-to-risk ratio when involving animals in any research activity, in order to not cause unnecessarily psychological or physical harm to the animal subjects. Researchers must comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as with appropriate institutional policies when acquiring, caring for, using, and disposing of nonhuman animal research subjects (APA, 2012). Many disciplines have experienced controversy regarding the use and care of animal research subjects. The APA has drawn clear boundaries, in which supported research is differentiated from research done by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies that use animal subjects without clear benefits to society as a whole or that do not have safety regulations for the animals.

After reading The American Psychological Association’s “Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Animals in Research,” consider the questions below. Then submit your responses.

1 of 5

Under the APA Guidelines, which of the following is NOT identified as a justifiable reason to conduct research with animal subjects?

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All procedures carried out on animal research subjects need to be reviewed by what committee to ensure that the procedures are appropriate and humane?

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When, if ever, would euthanasia of an animal research subject be appropriate?

One possible answer might be when it is either a requirement of the research or because it constitutes the most humane form of disposition of a nonhuman animal at the conclusion of the research. Another possible answer would be that when a research animal is observed to be in a state of severe distress or chronic pain that cannot be alleviated and the animal is not essential to the purposes of the research, it should be euthanized immediately.

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What type of training do you recommend for researchers who study animals?

One possible answer might be for researchers to be familiar with and have knowledge of guidelines for ethical conduct of nonhuman research, to have training on how to handle and interact with various species of animals, and to have training on the signs of distress in various animal species.