In one line: Animal research can teach us things we could not ethically learn from humans. It carries a heavy responsibility.
Suppose researchers want to know how long-term stress changes the brain. They cannot put people under months of stress and then examine their brains. Some use rats.
With animals, researchers can control the conditions and study what happens inside the brain. But an animal cannot agree to take part, and it can suffer.
The case for
- Some questions cannot be studied in humans
- Conditions can be tightly controlled
- Has led to treatments that help people
The case against
- Animals cannot consent
- Animals can feel pain and distress
- What is true of a rat may not be true of a person
Remember: Power over animals means responsibility for them.
Their use has to be justified, not assumed.
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Key idea: Responsible animal research follows three rules, known as the 3Rs: Replace, Reduce, Refine.
The 3Rs
Replace
Use something other than animals wherever possible.
Computer models, cells grown in a dish, or scans of human brains.
Reduce
Use the smallest number of animals that still gives a sound result.
Good planning, not wasteful repetition.
Refine
Change the procedures so that animals suffer as little as possible.
Better housing, pain relief, gentle handling.
Replace · Reduce · Refine
Exam tip: Do not just list the 3Rs.
Apply each one to the study in front of you: what could have replaced the animals, how many were needed, what would have eased their suffering?
Know your predicted grade
Take timed mock exams and get detailed feedback on every answer. See exactly where you're losing marks.
Key idea: A study on animals should go ahead only if its likely benefits clearly outweigh the suffering it causes.
Three questions before a study is approved
How good is the research?
A badly planned study wastes animals' lives, because its results cannot be trusted.
How likely is the benefit?
Will the findings help people or animals, and how sure can we be?
How much will the animals suffer?
The more pain or distress, the stronger the case for the study has to be.
Good research · Likely benefit · Little suffering
This weighing is a cost-benefit analysis. It is not left to the researcher alone: an ethics committee has to approve the study before it begins.
One doubt affects the benefit side. A rat's brain is like a human brain in many ways, but not in all, so findings from animals may not fully apply to people.
Watch out: The 3Rs do not settle whether a study is right.
They make a study less harmful. Whether it should happen at all is decided by weighing costs against benefits.
How this is asked: Responsibility is one of the concepts for the 15-mark essay on Paper 1, and animal research is a common subject for it.
Short questions can also ask about ethical considerations in the use of animals, with an example.
The essay pattern
- Say why animals are used for this kind of question.
- Give the benefit, with an example.
- Give the cost to the animals.
- Apply the 3Rs: what could reduce the harm?
- Weigh cost against benefit, and reach a judgement.
The trap: one side only: "It is cruel" and "it saves lives" are both half an answer.
A discussion weighs the two and says when the balance tips.
In the context of health and well-being, discuss the responsibilities of psychologists who use animals to study the effects of stress.
Model answer plan
See the answer broken into clear points, with guidance on how each point earns marks.