- Provides detailed guidance on how, when and why psychological research can be
conducted
- Tends to be for the benefit of the species being studies
- Basic principles:
- choose animals that are suitable
- limit pain
- take care of animals
Ethological Psychology
- Study of animals in natural environment, without influencing their behaviour
- Lorens (1935)
Observed goslings hatching, they followed him like a mother
Comparative Psychology
- Study of non-human animals with intention of comparing them to humans
- Assumes humans and animals learn in similar ways
- Harlow (1959)
Experimented on infant rhesus monkeys, which had 2 choices of mothers (comfort v food)
Therapeutic Device
- Any object that is used in a medical context to aid or improve physical or psychological
well-being
- Friedmann et al (2009)
Animals as therapeutic devices are effective in addressing emotional problems for people with
schizophrenia and down’s syndrome
Speciesism
- Idea that humans consider themselves superior to other species
- We feel we can exploit other species for food, sport, entertainment etc.
- Debate is largely moral and ethical (most people are okay with it)