Psych 205 Human vs Animal research - 3

Human research - advantages

• Can follow instructions

• Verbal self reports

• Cheaper

Human research - disadvantages

• Limitations in experimental control

  • Subject history

  • Measuring/manipulation techniques

• Social effects

• Complexity

Human research - disadvantages - Limitations in experimental control - define subject history

Cannot control the life before participant enters a study, leading to confounding variables

Human research - disadvantages - Limitations in experimental control - define limitation in Manipulation/measurement techniques

Techniques that cause lasting impacts past research raise ethical concerns

Human research - disadvantages - Social effects

Human response to stimuli massively influences results

Animal research - Advantages

• Experimental control

  • Subject history

  • invasive measuring/manipulation techniques

• simplicity

• value of comparative assessments

Animal research - Advantages - define the value of comparative assessments

Studying different species and comparing results ensures a wider range of study and view

Animal research - Disadvantages

• Questions about validity and generalizability

• Methodological challenges

  • Cant follow verbal instructions

  • Lack of verbal self-reporting capacity

• Higher cost

Animal research - Disadvantages - Define validity and generalizability

Sometimes animal research cannot generalize to humans

Animal research ethics - What are the 2 extremes

NO animal research

NO limitations on animal research

Animal research ethics - Define the middle ground position

Allow animal research when the benefits exceed the cost

What are the benefits of animal research

Medical, pragmatic, animal perception

What is the cost of animal research

Captivity, suffering, loss of freedom, expensive

What is the regulatory body around animal research

The CCAC

If the CCAC is national, how does it enforce locally

Animal care committees enforcing the rules

Define pure (basic) research

Research to generate knowledge

Define applied reserch

Research to solve problems humans care about

What is the importance of pure research

Pure research generates a foundation of knowledge and finds techniques