Use of Animals in Behavioral Research

"Animal research has greatly contributed to our understanding and treatment of serious diseases and illnesses, as well as to our understanding of basic physiological processes" (84). The textbook discusses advantaged and disadvantages to why animals are used in research, when our ultimate goal is usually to discover principles that are applicable to humans. Two of the advantages the textbook uses is that by using animals for research the ability to control the genetic makeup of the animal, and the ability to control their learning history. One example is rats, they can be bred so that entire batches are genetically identical. Identical twins can provide the same identical makeup needed for research, but generally the number of people that can be obtained is quite limited. The animals can also have identical upbringings, and therefore their learning history is usually very limited and identical. The third advantage the book offers is that by using animals researchers are able to strictly control the experimental environment. and in behavioral research this is very important. The fourth advantage is that some research can not be ethically conducted on humans, which is the case with experimental manipulations that can be harmful. Many people argue that testing animals for human processes just won't work, and that it is morally wrong because animals have similar rights to humans.

Powell, Russel, P. Lynne Honey, and Diane Symbaluk. Introduction to Learning and Behavior. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2013. Print.