Naturalistic Observation Essay

47). The supposedly medical nature of these studies, with the corresponding chance for advancing the health of the human species, is overcome by the fact that “animal models have questionable accuracy” (Singer, Animal Liberation, p. 58). A particularly chilling take-away from the studies Singer lists is that most of them end with a note along the lines of ‘further experimentation necessary’, implying that the researchers are involved in a self-fulfilling negative cycle where their personal pursuit for grant money, publication in peer reviewed journals, and the elusive accolades of their colleagues far overshadows the immense amount of suffering their studies are causing. Indeed, Singer presents his argument in a convincing format, with one account surpassing the next in its sheer lack of consideration for animals as living creatures. This reinforces his argument that humans are speciesists, prone to causing harm to non-humans without a thought if it means a slight (perceived) enhancement in their own state.

When conducting a study or experiment there are lots of issues that researchers and psychologists need to consider. Making good decisions on features like conditions can make all the difference between a poor research study and one that contributes significantly to new knowledge. The more researchers try to control a study or experiment, the less ecological validity it tends to have. Studies or experiments that have high ecological validity allows psychologists to generalise the findings which shows how behaviour is affected in real-life. A negative drawback from a study with high ecological validity is that it is very hard to

Naturalistic observational research is important because it allows researchers to observe people in a natural habitat without any variable manipulation. Most importantly in naturalistic observation, the researcher does not interfere with the situation in any way. Naturalistic observation can be structured or unstructured; for this study, unstructured naturalistic observation was mostly used. There were pre-determined characteristics that the researchers wrote down on a spreadsheet, however, specific behaviors were recorded as they happened (i.e., the type of reaction that resulted from each person who picked up the card). Naturalistic observation is important in psychological research because it gives insight into the natural behaviors of people. When a person is unaware they are being observed it reduces change in behavior, which can occur when if they are aware that they are being observed.

Naturalistic observation is observing behavior in an open, relaxed environment. This method allows a researcher to watch someone’s uninhibited reactions compared to surveys or case surveys where you can answer truthfully or untruthfully. The strengths of naturalistic observations are better generalizing, subjects are comfortable which adds to higher degree of realism

Imagine a life locked away in a cage with no form of control on your existence. It’s cold, dark, and you are scared. You don’t have a choice of what you eat, where you live, or how you are treated. You are unsure if it is day or night or what will happen to you next. You are locked away in a prison cell and you committed no crime. This is the life of a laboratory animal. Animal testing is the use of animals for scientific research purposes and experiments. It can be used for the findings of cures and medicines to testing new drugs, to understanding the behavioral psychology of the animals themselves. “Around fifty to one hundred million vertebrate animals, ranging from fish to primates, are used in experiments each year” (Lloyd). There are

Throughout this assignment, my perspective on the person I studied changed. I learned several things about their character and the behavior that they presented. This task showed me that by simply observing a person’s behavior, my perspective about them changes.

My observation locations are Starbucks and restaurant. I chose them as my observation location because those are the places where people normally talk, study, socialize and interact in a casual manner.

Throughout the history of psychological studies unprincipled violations have constructed ethical standards that are essential in today’s research. These moral dilemmas created established professional and federal standards for performing research with human and animal participants, known as, psychological ethical codes. The Tuskegee syphilis study and the Stanford prison experiment highlighted a psychological study without proper patients’ consent and appropriate treatment, resulting in a research disaster with unethical incidents.

Which author or institution is associated with coining the phrase, “the apartheid of schooling in America.”

A hypothetical experiment is proposed that inquires into the effects of cutting a specific part of the hypothalamus of cats. In the experiment, cats would have a surgery in which their hypothalamus is cut, when the cat would recover from the surgery, their behavior would be observed. The cats would then be painlessly euthanized via an injection of poison. This research raises a question as to whether the experiment is ethical and follows the guidelines described in the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals (developed by the American Psychological Association's Committee on Animal Research and Ethics [CARE]). After careful examination of the APA CARE guidelines, the experiment would be ethical because there were no technical

Animal testing, also known as animal research or experimentation refers to the use of non-human animals to conduct experiments which seek to control certain variables that have the potential to impact the biological systems or behaviors under study. The most commonly used animals are usually mice, cats, rats, dogs and primates. More than 20 million animals are usually subjected to food, drugs, chemical and cosmetic testing each year in the United States alone (Sharma et al, p.1). These animals usually suffer and die in the cruelest of ways despite the fact that there exist more modern non-animal tests which have been found out to save time, money and with more educational value. This essay explains why animal testing is bad and provides

Our country was founded on certain moral principles. The moral principles which guide our lives are referred to as ethics. These ethics have an impact on how we interact with the world around us and shape our personalities; this happens even if we do not realize their immediate impact. It is for this very reason that ethics in psychological research became necessary. “One may also define ethics as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues” (Resnik, 2011). We are expected to behave or be treated a particular way in society, therefore we should be granted certain ethical treatments in regards to research.

Peter Singer’s argument for determining when animal experiments are justified is stated in his papers “All Animals are Equal” and “Tools for Research”. His argument in regards to animal experimentation and speciesism is very thought provoking and makes the readers review their own biases regarding human/animal relations. Although some of the ideas the author brings forward, such as using mentally retarded or orphaned babies for experimentation, are radical, they do make one think about the biases we have as a species. Also, his thoughts on mammals and birds ability to feel pain being

Using animals in research and to test the safety of products has been a topic of heated debate for decades. According to data collected by F. Barbara Orlans for her book, In the Name of Science: Issues in Responsible Animal Experimentation, sixty percent of all animals used in testing are used in biomedical research and product-safety testing (62). People have different feelings for animals; many look upon animals as companions while others view animals as a means for advancing medical techniques or furthering experimental research. However individuals perceive animals, the fact remains that animals are being exploited by research facilities and cosmetics

Animal experimentation by scientists can be cruel and unjust, but at the same time it can provide long term benefits for humanity. Animals used in research and experiments have been going on for 2,000 years and keep is going strong. It is a widely debated about topic all over the world. Some say it is inhuman while others say it’s for the good of human kind. There are many different reasons why people perform experiments and why others total disagree with it.