- 2014 Chair: Allyson Bennett
- John Capitanio
- Marilyn Carroll
- Kenneth Leising
- Wendy Lynch
- Mark Reilly
- Sangeeta Panicker, APA staff liaison
In pursuit of its mission of safeguarding and promoting ethically and scientifically sound research and teaching involving nonhuman animals in psychological science, the Committee on Animal Research and Ethics’ (CARE) focus in 2014 was on outreach, advocacy, and education. These general goals were advanced in a number of ways that built on previous years’ progress.
PowerPoint Slides
The Committee continued its efforts to enhance recognition of the important role of nonhuman animal research in psychology. Standard undergraduate psychology textbooks do not include adequate, fact-based information on the historical contributions and continuing importance of nonhuman animal research. Thus, the Committee decided to develop supplementary course materials, such as annotated PowerPoint slides, to encourage instructors to incorporate such information into their psychology courses. Member Ken Leising shared with the Committee his experience presenting two of his undergraduate classes with an accurate portrayal of the nature and value of nonhuman animal research. To gauge the effectiveness of his presentation, Dr. Leising surveyed the students for their opinions on research with nonhuman animals, at the beginning and at the end of the class. Dr. Leising found that students’ knowledge about the conduct of animal research, its role in scientific progress, its ethical basis, regulation and oversight, increased. As a result of better understanding and exposure to accurate information, some students’ opinions shifted from an anti-to a pro-nonhuman animal research position. To summarize, 18% of questions answered shifted from an Anti to Pro Animal Research opinion. The majority of the questions (74%) answered during the Pre-Test were consistent with a Pro Animals in Research position. 34% questions answered shifted from an Anti or Moderate Pro Animal Research position to a Strong Pro position. A large portion shifted their position from Moderate to Strong support of the use of animals in scientific research.
Invited Address by Dr. Bill Hopkins
Dr. Bill Hopkins gave a well-attended talk at the 2014 APA Convention in the session “Linking Research with People and Other Animals”, co-sponsored by CARE. The session highlighted the importance of nonhuman animal research to understanding brain-behavior relationships, and focused on translating research with chimpanzees to our understanding of human personality, cognition, and emotion.
Letter of Support
In response to the escalation in the harassment campaign from animal rights activists against Edythe London, a University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) scientist who conducts substance abuse research with nonhuman animals, the Committee decided that APA should send a letter in support of Dr. London to the leadership at UCLA. The letter was sent to Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California (UC) System requesting that the institution publicly support Dr. London and her colleagues and defend her from the continuing harassment.
Journal Articles
Chair Allyson Bennett and Staff Liaison Sangy Panicker submitted two journal articles addressing the global impact of changes in chimpanzee research in the U.S., and their broad impact on ethical considerations. One is currently in press at Developmental Psychobiology and the other is under review at the American Journal of Primatology.
PRIM&R Blog Post
The Committee submitted a response, written by Drs. Bennett and Panicker, to a blog post written by staff at Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research (PRIM&R) on the genesis of regulations for environmental enrichment for laboratory animals. Through omission of key facts and misrepresentation of other aspects of history, the PRIM&R post implied that an undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in the 1980s revealed substantial lack of compliance with regulations by a scientist, Dr. Taub, and that PETA’s actions were the genesis of a 1985 amendment of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The response from Drs. Bennett and Panicker denounced PRIM&R’s account and asked that the organization publicly set the record straight, including clearing Dr. Taub’s name and condemning the actions by PETA. The response was posted on PRIM&R’s website.
Support for Dr. Stephen Suomi
On Jan. 22, the Committee, along with APA staff, drafted and submitted letters to five members of Congress in support of Stephen J. Suomi, a psychologist and primate researcher at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives -- Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Sam Farr (D-CA) -- sent a joint letter in Dec. 2014 to NIH director Francis Collins, requesting a review of the scientific and ethical justification of Suomi’s work with nonhuman primate models. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) communicated a similar message to Collins. Their concerns were prompted by media reports and requests from constituents, which are known to have been stimulated by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). APA’s letters defended the scientific contributions of Suomi’s work and the animal care procedures that are taken in his laboratory. Additionally, APA staff met with an advisor for Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard to discuss her concerns and offer their expertise.
NIH Request for Information on Proposed Guidance Regarding Significant Changes to Ongoing Animal Activities
The Committee submitted comments to the NIH Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)’s Request for Information (RFI) seeking comments on proposed guidance regarding significant changes to ongoing animal activities that require review by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The Committee noted that the RFI was vague and ambiguous and did not provide a rationale for the proposed guidance. CARE members were also concerned that, contrary to the stated intent, formalizing such guidance may well result in unnecessary increased regulatory burden on investigators and IACUCs.
Data Sharing
The Committee revisited the Data Sharing Policy developed by the Publications and Communications Board (P&C) Replication and Data Sharing (RADS) Task Force. CARE discussed ethical and practical issues in sharing research data, identifying several critical areas that needed to be addressed. CARE member Dr. John Capitanio represented CARE on the BSA ad hoc committee on data sharing to outline a plan of action for APA. The Ad Hoc Committee drafted a new document, “Data Sharing Principles”, which was reviewed by members of CARE, and the final document will be completed by early 2015.
NIH Request for Information (RFI) on Sex as a Biological Variable
The Committee discussed and submitted a response to an RFI from NIH on sex as a biological variable.
STAR (Supporting Truth about Animal Research), a coalition spearheaded by CARE, grew in membership since it was convened in July 2013. New members that joined in 2014 include International Study Group Investigating Drugs as Reinforcers (ISGIDAR), the International Society for Comparative Psychology (ISCP), and the American Society of Primatologists (ASP). STAR shared information and coordinated activities to address important issues, such as a Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) campaign targeting alcohol research with nonhuman primates. STAR also provided support for international scientists and those targeted by groups opposing animal research, and created resources for public outreach and education.
CARE generated a list of potential initiatives for the Committee to pursue, including:
- USDA petition: The New England Anti-Vivisection Society, the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance, the Laboratory Primate Advocacy Group, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund submitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish enforceable regulations for the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates in research. The Committee will continue to monitor and gather information to begin drafting a response that would be sent to the USDA if and when a call for public comments is released.
- Support for Stephen Suomi: In response to the escalated harassment by PETA, the Committee will continue to develop methods of support for Dr. Suomi. The Committee is currently planning a Congressional briefing for March.
- OLAW webinar: The Committee will continue to discuss potential topics and content for an online webinar offered by the NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW).
- AVMA Animal Welfare certification: The Committee will continue to gather information about a new certification program that is being developed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) College of Animal Welfare. The program is aimed at providing veterinarians with training in psychological well-being of nonhuman animals in research. Noting that the issue has been most extensively studied by behavioral scientists, who continue to make contributions to enhancing laboratory animal welfare, Dr. Bennett suggested that APA/CARE consider establishing a partnership with the AVMA in order to provide input from a psychological perspective. The Committee also discussed inviting other organizations, such as the Animal Behavior Society (ABS) and American Society of Primatologists (ASP) to collaborate with APA on this effort.
Allyson Bennett, Marilyn Carroll, Kenneth Leising, and Wendy Lynch continued to serve on the Committee. John Capitanio and Mark Reilly joined the Committee. CARE elected Dr. Leising to serve as the Chair of CARE in 2015. Dr. Carroll rotated off the Committee at the end of 2014, and was replaced by James Rowlett, while Dr. Bennett will serve another term.