2004 Annual Reports for Boards and Committees

Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE) Annual Report - 2004

Members: Chana K. Akins, Chair, Mark S. Blumberg, Nancy K. Dess, Mark Galizio, James K. Rowlett, Lisa M. Savage, Sangeeta Panicker (APA Staff Liaison)

CARE's primary focus in 2004 continued to be safeguarding the responsible use of laboratory animals in psychological science through the dissemination of accurate information pertaining to their role in research and teaching by psychologists. This general goal was advanced in a number of different ways that built on previous years' progress.

Educational and informational programs to advance understanding and foster interest in the use of animals in teaching and research in psychology

CARE Video Series on the Importance of Animal Research: CARE continued its development of a multi-part video series on the importance of laboratory animal research in psychology. The Committee met with a professional video producer and discussed the content area for the next two segments in the series. The producer then started working on developing the two segments, in collaboration with the CARE staff liaison. Members Nancy K. Dess and Mark Galizio agreed to serve as expert advisors on this project. As before, the videos will be distributed to members of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) and will also be available for purchase.

The Development of Educational Packages for High School and Early College Students The Committee further discussed developing educational packages regarding the use of nonhuman animals in teaching and research in psychology. The first step in this on-going project entails design and completion of the CARE web site. The Committee's FAQ document will be one of the first documents to be added to the website as discussed at previous meetings. The Committee is also developing a short presentation based on the model used for the Exploring Behavior Week initiative. The goal is to facilitate faculty and graduate student visits to local schools to inform students about the relevance of laboratory animal research in psychology. The Committee continues to believe that reaching out to young students is the key to counteracting the increased activities of anti-animal research groups at this educational level and will be planning more activities on this front in the future.

Revisions to the APA National Standards for the Teaching of High School Psychology: The Committee reviewed and commented on the revised APA Standards for the Teaching of High School Psychology. The Committee noted that although a few of its suggestions on a previous draft had been incorporated, the current draft standards were lacking in that they did not explicitly capture the breadth of the field, including the nature, value, and contributions of non-human animal research in psychology.

Support of animal research and scientists who conduct research with laboratory animals Disaster Planning and Crisis Management. In an effort to make laboratory animal researchers aware of the importance of maintaining a crisis management and disaster planning as it relates to safeguarding their research facilities as well as protecting the scientists themselves, the Committee decided to submit articles on this and other IACUC-related issues to the newsletters of relevant divisions, such as Divisions 6, 25, and 28. The article would also mention resources that are/will be available through the Science Directorate, either upon request or freely available for downloading off the CARE Web-site, and gauge members' interest in attending workshops that focus on regulatory issues pertaining to laboratory animal research.

Survey Status of Laboratory Animal Research in Graduate Departments of Psychology: The Committee developed a brief Web-based survey that will be sent to chairs of psychology departments to gauge the status of laboratory animal research in psychology programs across the nation.

Comments on Proposed USDA Regulations: The Committee discussed and responded to a call for comments from the Animal Care (AC) division of the Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on (i) proposed regulations to help promote the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of birds, rats, and mice not specifically excluded from coverage under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and (ii) the extension of the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to birds, other than birds bred for use in research.

Future plans and development of new initiatives

CARE generated a list of potential initiatives for the Committee and began to prioritize them. The short list would include: