APsychology Paper on: A Debate on Animal testing in Psychology Today

Essay by PepsUniversity, Bachelor'sA-, February 2005

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ABSTRACT:

The issue under investigation is on the use of invasive techniques and the sacrifice of animals in psychological research. Sometimes the issues between human understanding and research arise. Such is in the case of vivisection, the definition of "vivisection" any use of animals in science or research that exploits and harms them. There is in no doubt that the use of invasive techniques and the sacrifice of laboratory animals has in significant ways been able to increase our understanding of the human organism and the consequent effects this has on behavior. Consequentley we have to understand the relevance of the word invasive. The word "invasive" was defined using the Oxford Dictionary. It was found that the two meanings were relevant with the issue at hand. The first described it as a medical procedure involving the introduction of instruments into a body, the second referred to research that intruded on the privacy, rights, ECT of others, in this case of animals (Oxford Australian Dictionary, 1997,p157).

Therefore research literature and organizations were developed illustrating the importance and relevance of such procedures as well as showing their continued significance one such example would be National Research Council OF The United States Of America: Use of Laboratory Animals in Biomedical Reasearch. Washington, D.C. and their significant research and understanding into both the psychological and medical fields.

We are fortunate that today we live in a time and society in which we can have greater understanding in the field of psychology and practice, which allows us to extend our expanding understanding and knowledge into biological functioning of the human organism and the consequent effects this has had on behaviour. In expanding our knowledge we must also reflect on the expense or consequences of our actions in the gaining of this invaluable resource and take...