Discuss the use of animals in psychological research.

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Discuss the use of Animals in Psychological research. (30 marks)

There is much debate into the use of non-human animals in Psychological research in regards to their scientific suitability. In addition there are many ethical issues both in favour and against the use of animals in psychological research. There are a number of psychological experiments that over time have used animals as a means of testing various hypotheses, for example psychologist Harry Harlow used baby rhesus monkeys whilst researching the “cupboard love” theory into attachment which taught us that we do not merely attach for food but for other reasons in addition to this such as comfort. Pavlov also famously used dogs to investigate into operant conditioning.

The use of animals in research however is heavily controlled, for instance there are strict guidelines in place and some animals are no longer frequently used in research such as cats and dogs, and great apes have been outlawed from usage in animal research completely. Research must also be approved prior to any studies beginning and must be carried out on licensed premises by competent licensed people. Studies also have to use the smallest number of animals it can and must keep discomfort and suffering to a minimum.

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There are several scientific reasons against using animals in psychological research. The biggest argument perhaps being that although we share 98.4% of our DNA with chimpanzees, they still behave differently and so they are not a good model of human behaviour. As well as this, as we cannot ask questions of animals we may misinterpret their behaviour. For example we may decide that an animal is displaying distressed behaviour, when they may actually be perfectly content.  In addition, if an animal does get depressed, then this may be for an entirely different reason as to why a human may ...

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Summary This essay has covered many of the salient points relevant to this particular subject. The writer could now improve the score by citing various studies, experiments and authors. Unfortunately there is a lack of evidence in the writing which has meant a lower score. The writer, however, is on the right track and shows an understanding of the arguments for and against animals being used for psychological research. Score 3 *