Nonhuman Animal Subjects in Research

Committee on Animal Research and Ethics

According to the ethical guidelines for animal research, under what specific condition are psychologists permitted to subject nonhuman animal subjects to stress or pain?

Ethical guidelines strictly prohibit psychological researchers from ever subjecting nonhuman animal subjects to pain or stress under any circumstances.

Match each practical researcher action to the ethical requirement for the humane care and use of animal subjects it demonstrates according to Standard 8.09.

A researcher is planning a study on the physiological effects of chronic stress that requires a methodology potentially causing animal subjects discomfort. According to the logical hierarchy of ethical justification and implementation in Standard 8.09, arrange the following steps in the correct order.

A psychology researcher wants to investigate the neurological basis of fear responses in nonhuman animals. She must design a complete study protocol from acquisition through end-of-study disposal that fully satisfies Standard 8.09. Which of the following protocol designs best integrates all of the humane care requirements into a single, compliant plan?

Note: 'viable alternatives' refers to non-animal or less-invasive methods that could answer the same research question.

According to Standard 8.09, psychologists who use nonhuman animal subjects in research are required to make reasonable efforts to minimize pain and discomfort experienced by those animals.

In the ethical assessment of animal research where alternative methodologies are unavailable, Standard 8.09 requires psychologists to judge whether the potential _____ of the study is significant enough to justify the use of procedures that cause stress or pain to the subjects.

Match each researcher's action to the specific ethical requirement of Standard 8.09 it demonstrates.

Before subjecting nonhuman animal subjects to pain or stress, psychologists must analyze their research design to confirm that alternative procedures are _____.

Order the steps a researcher must take to evaluate and ethically execute a study involving animal subjects under Standard 8.09, from the initial design phase to the study's conclusion.

Based on Standard 8.09, what are the four stages of animal handling that psychologists must perform in compliance with regulations and professional standards? In addition, state the general rule regarding animal discomfort and the specific conditions required to justify subjecting animals to stress or pain.

Explain how the researchers in this scenario demonstrate comprehension of the ethical exceptions in Standard 8.09 that allow subjecting animals to stress. Which parts of the scenario align with the two necessary conditions required by the standard?

A psychology researcher is designing an experiment that requires administering a mild, potentially painful stimulus to mice to study fear conditioning. Describe the steps the researcher must take during the planning phase to apply the requirements of Standard 8.09 before carrying out the experiment.