ib psychology animal research studies

Reference Library

Collections

• See what's new
• All Resources
• Student Resources
• Assessment Resources
• Teaching Resources
• CPD Courses
• Livestreams

Study notes, videos, interactive activities and more!

Psychology news, insights and enrichment

Currated collections of free resources

Browse resources by topic

• All Psychology Resources

Resource Selections

Currated lists of resources

Study Notes

IB Psychology (BLOA): Animal Research May Inform Our Understanding of Human Behaviour

Last updated 22 Mar 2021

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share by Email

The biological approach to psychological research relies on three key assumptions.

• Patterns of behaviour can be inherited, which means that we don’t only inherit our hair and eye colour from our parents and grandparents, but also our attitudes and behaviours.
• Animal research may inform our understanding of human behaviour, because many animals have brains and nervous systems that are similar to humans.
• Cognitions, emotions and behaviours are products of the anatomy and physiology of our nervous and endocrine systems . In other words, the structure and processes of our brain and nervous system govern how we feel and think.

These key assumptions are the principles underpinning all psychological research carried out within the biological approach.

Key Question: Outline the key assumptions of the biological approach.

The biological approach does just what you would think from the name: it assumes that our behaviour is the product of our physiology , that it can be researched by investigating our physiology (or even animal physiology) and that behaviour patterns are also inherited from our ancestors, both recent and distant.

2. Animal Research May Inform Our Understanding of Human Behaviour

This belief arises from the evidence that the nervous system , including the brain, of some animals is similar to that of humans. Psychologists from the biological approach therefore assume similar functions from these similar structures. For example, while the time scale of brain development is considerably different, the sequence of brain development is largely the same between humans and rats.

There is some evidence to suggest that research using rats is applicable to humans, as the study by Fadda et al. (1996) below shows, but remember that 40% of the human brain motor cortex is given over to visual stimuli, while over 30% of the rat’s motor cortex is used to process “whisker stimuli”, so there are some significant differences.

We should always be aware that the brain processes that are investigated are usually triggered environmentally, and thus critical thinking demands that we remain aware of the constant interaction between genetic inheritance and environmental factors.

Key Study 2: Fadda et al. (1996)

Aim: To investigate the role of acetylcholine (ACh) in anticipation of a memory task and in spatial memory.

Method: Two groups of rats - one group trained to run a T-maze, alternating the starting arms, until the rats were successful in reaching the food in 9 out of 11 trials. The control group was not trained.

All rats were placed for 20 minutes in a waiting cage before completing the task. They then ran the maze to find the food, and were placed back in their home cage afterwards. Levels of ACh were measured by a specially implanted probe, before, during and for 30 minutes after the task.

Results: The trained rats (experimental group) had significantly higher levels of ACh in their hippocampus when awaiting the task. Both groups had high levels in the first ten minutes of maze-running, but then the ACh levels in the brains of the control group rats dropped back to their base level, while those in the experimental group remained high until they dropped slowly back to normal by 30 minutes after the task.

Conclusion: These results suggest that acetylcholine is important in the processes of arousal, attention and memory, and not just in spatial memory as previously demonstrated in research.

The main point of evaluation is whether these findings can be generalised to humans. The degeneration of acetylcholine -releasing neurons has long been associated with Alzheimer’s disease, which is a loss initially of declarative memory and then of procedural memory.

Gais and Born (2004) showed that acetylcholine is important in declarative memory (of events - as opposed to spatial memory, which is procedural). Low levels of acetylcholine were vital during slow-wave sleep (SWS) for the consolidation of memories. Increasing acetylcholine uptake during SWS resulted in a loss of declarative memories, but had no effect on procedural memories . While not directly arisen from Fadda et al’s research, this does show the strange and complex relationship between acetylcholine and memory.

Critical Thinking

For more study notes….

To keep up-to-date with the tutor2u Psychology team, follow us on Twitter @tutor2uPsych , Facebook (AQA) / OCR / Edexcel / Student or subscribe to the Psychology Daily Digest and get new content delivered to your inbox!

• Nervous System
• Hippocampus
• Procedural Memory

You might also like

Episodic, procedural and semantic memory.

Memory: 7 free teaching activities

21st September 2015

Scoville and Milner (1957)

Corkin (1997), example answer for question 08 paper 1: a level psychology, june 2017 (aqa).

Exam Support

15 Must-See Paper 2 Biopsychology Videos for A Level Psychology Students

9th June 2017

Example Answers for Memory: A Level Psychology, Paper 1, June 2019 (AQA)

Example answers for biopsychology: a level psychology, paper 2, june 2019 (aqa), our subjects.

• › Criminology
• › Economics
• › Geography
• › Health & Social Care
• › Psychology
• › Sociology
• › Teaching & learning resources
• › Student revision workshops
• › Online student courses
• › CPD for teachers
• › Livestreams
• › Teaching jobs

Boston House, 214 High Street, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, LS23 6AD Tel: 01937 848885

• › Contact us
• › Terms of use
• › Privacy & cookies

© 2002-2024 Tutor2u Limited. Company Reg no: 04489574. VAT reg no 816865400.

• Abnormal Psychology
• Assessment (IB)
• Biological Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Criminology
• Developmental Psychology
• Extended Essay
• General Interest
• Health Psychology
• Human Relationships
• IB Psychology
• IB Psychology HL Extensions
• Internal Assessment (IB)
• Love and Marriage
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Prejudice and Discrimination
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Research Methodology
• Revision and Exam Preparation
• Social and Cultural Psychology
• Studies and Theories
• Teaching Ideas

Generalizability in Animal Studies: Cognition and Culture

Travis Dixon November 10, 2020 Biological Psychology , Health Psychology , Research Methodology

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Generalizability is the extent to which we can confidently predict the results of a study would apply to a different context, including different people, places, and procedures. When considering the extent to which we can generalize findings from animal studies, we are considering how confidently we could predict the same finding in humans.

For example, animal studies like Sapolsky’s research on baboon’s ( read more ) have found that lower ranking baboons have higher cortisol levels. But does this mean that low status correlates with high stress? Even “primatologists themselves have warned repeatedly about over-generalizing from primate data to human societies,” (Petticrew and Smith, 2012)

• So you want to assess ecological validity?
• Lesson Idea: Understanding generalizability and population validity
• So you want to assess population validity?

When considering the generalizability of animal research, a good tip is to remember C&C: culture and cognition.  Our cultures and cognitive processes are more complex than other animals. Specific differences in this regard could affect generalizability of animal findings. If you can give a good reason how or why our thinking or environment could affect the connection between two variables found in animal studies, it will raise your evaluations beyond the vague generic statements like “this was an animal study so it doesn’t apply to humans.” Such oversimplified statements are not examples of critical thinking.

Let’s look at an example…

Rosenzweig and Bennet ( Read More ): Environment and Brain Development

This study found that rats living in cages by themselves with just food and water and no other stimulation had less development in their brains compared to rats in cages with social groups, toys and maze training. The conclusion is, therefore, that our environment can affect our brain development and if we’re in deprived environments our brains won’t grow as much. But consider the advanced cognition of humans – we can sit in an isolated room for hours and meditate, or daydream, or use our imaginations. We know that cognition, not just our environment, affects brain development, too. So in some extreme situations, the results might not apply. For example, monks who live rather austere lifestyles but spend hours meditating have more  developed PFCs than other people. The animal model, therefore, gives us an insight into possible factors affecting human brain development, but there are situations where this might be limited.

Teacher Tip: When you start writing your own critical thinking examples you’ll find that it invariably relies on using personal knowledge. This is why the themantic model uses a bottom-up approach: building knowledge brick-by-brick before extending students with critical thinking.

Sapolsky (1990) ( Read More ): Social Status and Stress

Sapolsky found that lower ranking baboons are hypercortisolemic – they have elevated levels of stress hormones. Can you think of ways that human cognition or culture might affect the link between status and stress?

Note:  This material has been designed to help students with a critical thinking extension task in our upcoming “Stress” unit for Health Psychology. I’ll update this post with the links when it’s published.

Travis Dixon is an IB Psychology teacher, author, workshop leader, examiner and IA moderator.

🥳 New ESS SL & HL courses for first examinations May 2026 released! 🚀

IB Psychology

Psychology is the in-depth and systematic study of human behaviour. Psychology acknowledges that behaviour and cognitive processes are adaptive, based on the changing times, encouraging students to challenge assertions and acknowledge uncertainty. Students are invited to make use of a multidisciplinary approach using rigorous research techniques to describe, explain, and understand human behaviour.

Course Structure and Content

Students have an option to take IB Psych at a Standard level (SL) or at a Higher level (HL). Both levels will learn the core topics focusing on biological approaches (e.g neurotransmitters, the brain, genetics & evolution), cognitive approaches (e.g. models of memory, thinking and decision making, emotion & cognition), and sociocultural approaches (e.g culture, social identity theory, stereotypes) in understanding human behaviour. Students at the higher level will cover additional HL extension topics on the influence of globalisation on human behaviour, animal research, and cognitive processing in the digital world. These topics are reflected in the Paper 1 external assessment.

HL students are required to study at least two of the following options: Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Health Psychology, and the Psychology of Human Relationships. SL students are required to study one of these options. Knowledge and understanding of these topics are assessed in the Paper 2 examination. Finally, HL students will also be externally assessed on their understanding and analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods in Paper 3.

Both SL and HL students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge of the core content and approaches to research through an internally assessed Psychology Experiment.

Tips for success

• Read the questions carefully and identify the specific topic in question, command term, and the behaviour in focus.
• Familiarise yourself and study key terminology and research used to explain behaviour in relation to the core topics and options.
• Practise critical thinking by tolerating uncertainty, looking at possible methodological and ethical considerations in research, and being open with diverse perspectives and explanations to human behaviour.

RV Psychology is designed to maximise your academic results through multiple-choice questions related to key terminology and research, practise critical analysis and understanding of content through short-answer and essay questions on all topic and content areas available through our Questionbank and other tools available to meet your learning needs.

Thank you Revision Village Members

#1 IB Math Resource

Revision Village is ranked the #1 IB Math Resources by IB Students & Teachers.

34% Grade Increase

Revision Village students scored 34% greater than the IB Global Average in their exams (2021).

80% of IB Students

More and more IB students are using Revision Village to prepare for their IB Math Exams.

More IB Psych Resources

Questionbank.

All the questions you could need! Sorted by topic and arranged by difficulty, with mark schemes and video solutions for every question.

Practice Exams

Choose your revision tool! Contains topic quizzes for focused study, Revision Village mock exams covering the whole syllabus, and the revision ladder to precisely target your learning.

Key Concepts

Helpful refreshers summarizing exactly what you need to know about the most important concepts covered in the course.

Past Papers

Full worked solutions to all past paper questions, taught by experienced IB instructors.

DP Psychology

Website by John Crane

Updated 16 August 2024

InThinking Subject Sites

Subscription websites for IB teachers & their classes

Find out more

• thinkib.net
• DP Business Management
• DP Chemistry
• DP Computer Science
• DP Economics
• DP English A: Language & Literature
• DP English A: Literature
• DP English B
• DP French B
• DP Geography
• DP German A: Lang & Lit
• DP Maths: Analysis & Approaches
• DP Maths: Applications & Interpretations
• DP Spanish A
• DP Spanish Ab Initio
• DP Spanish B
• DP Turkish A: Literature
• DP Visual Arts
• MYP English Language & Literature
• MYP Resources
• MYP Spanish Language Acquisition
• Career-related Programme
• School Leadership

Disclaimer : InThinking subject sites are neither endorsed by nor connected with the International Baccalaureate Organisation.

InThinking Subject Sites for IB Teachers and their Classes

Supporting ib educators.

• Comprehensive help & advice on teaching the IB diploma.
• Written by experts with vast subject knowledge.
• Innovative ideas on ATL & pedagogy.
• Detailed guidance on all aspects of assessment.

Developing great materials

• More than 14 million words across 24 sites.
• Masses of ready-to-go resources for the classroom.
• Dynamic links to current affairs & real world issues.
• Updates every week 52 weeks a year.

Integrating student access

• Give your students direct access to relevant site pages.
• Single student login for all of your school’s subscriptions.
• Create reading, writing, discussion, and quiz tasks.
• Monitor student progress & collate in online gradebook.

Meeting schools' needs

• Global reach with more than 200,000 users worldwide.
• Use our materials to create compelling unit plans.
• Save time & effort which you can reinvest elsewhere.
• Consistently good feedback from subscribers.

For information about pricing, click here

Download brochure

See what users are saying about our Subject Sites:

Find out more about our Student Access feature:

• Animal research: Final assessment
• Personalized learning
• Module: Animal research

To complete this module, you should submit both of the assessments below.First, you will see a critical thinking task about a study by Li-Huei Tsai at MIT. Complete your thoughts on ethical considerations for the research and submit.The second task is an essay. For the essay prompt below, please complete the essay and then send the file to your teacher. You should verify with your teacher how the essay should be submitted...

To access the entire contents of this site, you need to log in or subscribe to it.

Alternatively, you can request a one month free trial .

• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• Games & Quizzes
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center

Shchyolkovo

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

• CRW Flags - Flag of Shchyolkovo, Russia

Shchyolkovo , city and centre of a rayon (sector), Moscow oblast (region), western Russia . It lies along the Klyazma River a few miles northeast of Moscow. Shchyolkovo was renowned from the 18th century as a centre of handicraft silk weaving , and today it remains a centre of various textile industries. The city also has important chemical, metalworking, and engineering industries. Pop. (2006 est.) 112,860.

Two Key Studies of the Brain & Behaviour: Animals ( HL IB Psychology )

Revision note.

Psychology Content Creator

Key Study One: Rosenzweig et al. (1972)

Note: You learned about neuroplasticity in the SL Biological Approach (see the RNs on this site which cover the topic) using research by Maguire et al. (2000) and Luby et al. (2013) which both investigate neuroplasticity in humans. This key study looks at neuroplasticity in rats’ brains so make sure that you DON’T use it when answering a question on neuroplasticity in relation to human behaviour i.e. only use this research for a HL Extension question on Paper 1 Section B.

Aim : To investigate neuroplasticity in rats’ brains when they are exposed to either a highly enriched environment or an i mpoverished environment .

Procedure : Three male rats were chosen from 3 separate litters. They were then randomly assigned to one of three conditions . One rat remained in the laboratory cage with the rest of the rats; another was assigned to the "enriched" environment cage; and the third was assigned to the "impoverished" cage. There were 12 rats in each of these conditions for each of the 16 experiments .

The three different environments were:

  The standard laboratory cage - several rats in an adequate space with food and water available 

  The impoverished environment - a slightly smaller cage isolated in a separate room in which the rat was placed alone with adequate food and water

  The enriched environment – six to eight rats in a large cage furnished with a variety of objects with which they could play and exercise on

The rats lived in these different environments for periods of four to 10 weeks. After this phase of the procedure they were humanely sacrificed so that brain autopsies could be conducted to investigate differences in the brains of the rats across the conditions.

The cerebral cortex (the part of the brain that responds to experience and is responsible for movement, memory, learning, and all sensory input ) of the rats who had lived in the enriched environment were significantly heavier and thicker than the rats who had lived in the impoverished environment 

There were no significant differences between the rats in terms of the number of neurons per brain but the enriched environment rats had larger neurons than the impoverished environment rats

An electron microscope showed that the synapses of the enriched rats' brains were 50% larger than those of the impoverished rats

Conclusion : Living in an enriched environment may significantly increase the cerebral cortex of rats’ brains compared to rats who live in an impoverished environment.

Evaluation of Rosenzweig et al. (1972)

  Strengths

The use of a standardised procedure and clinical methodology to study the rats’ brains means that this study has good reliability

The findings of this study have some application to therapeutic settings e.g. with dementia patients (providing stimulation may help to offset or prevent further loss of brain function)

  Limitations

It is difficult to generalis e the findings as rats’ brains are simplistic compared to human brains, so some caution is necessary when considering the results

There are ethical concerns not only due to the fact that the animals were destroyed after the procedure, but the use of the impoverished environment may have caused some deterioration in the rats who were exposed to such a negative environment

Key terms: Cerebral cortex Enriched environment Impoverished environment

An enriched environment compared to an impoverished environment

Key Study Two: Fadda et al. (1996)

Note: You learned about neurotransmitters in the SL Biological Approach (see the RNs on this site which cover the topic) using research by Fisher et al. (2005) and Brunner et al. (1993) which both investigate neurotransmitters in humans. This key study looks at neurotransmitters in rats’ brains so make sure that you DON’T use it when answering a question on neuroplasticity i.e. only use this research for a HL Extension question on Paper 1 Section B.

Aim: To examine whether rats’ performance in a T‐maze was associated with increased acetylcholine ( ACh , a neurotransmitter associated with memory and learning ) in the hippocampus .

Procedure: 

A group of rats selected to be in the experimental condition were deprived of food for 23 hours to make them hungry and at 80% of their body weight

The rats were then trained using a T‐maze (a maze in the shape of a ‘T’) on 12 consecutive trials (one trial = one session) in which they had to alternate between the right and left arms of the maze to find a sunflower seed 

On the first trial of each session, access to one of the arms was blocked, forcing the rat to enter only the opposite arm 

On each of the next 11 trials the food was placed in the arm opposite to that in the previous trial and both arms were unblocked ( free‐choice trials) 

A correct trial ended with the rat eating the food; an incorrect trial ended with the rat reaching the empty food cup

Rats in the control group were introduced into the T‐maze only on the day of the experiment but were handled in the same way and for the same length of time as the trained rats were

Acetylcholine in the rats’ brains was measured by use of a specially implanted probe .

There was an increase in ACh in the hippocampi of the trained rats before the task, but not in the control rats 

This finding shows that ACh increases with anticipation of a learning task  

There was an increase in ACh in the hippocampi of the control group rats during the first ten minutes of the task, after which the ACh decreased back to the basal level and stayed there 

The ACh stayed high throughout the task for the trained rats and decreased slowly after the task

  Conclusion: ACh may play a key role in rats’  learning and memory.

Evaluation of Fadda et al. (1996)

  Strengths:

The control group rats were handled in the same way and for the same time as the trained rats prior to the experiment which should eliminate any bias in the treatment of the rats which increases the internal validity of the study

Rats are highly sensitive, intelligent creatures which means that they are good subjects to use in research on learning such as this one

Using lab rats who live in captivity lacks ecological validity as this is not how rats use memory or learning in the real world

The study does not mention if the control group rats similarly had their food intake reduced for the period before the test

Key terms: Acetylcholine T-maze Hippocampus

ACh appeared to have a positive effect on rats’ brains

Remember that you won’t be asked any HL Extension questions on Paper 1 Section A of the exam so make sure that you don’t use any animal studies in your answer to any Biological Approach questions on this part of the exam.

Worked Example

Extended response question (erq).

The question is, ‘ Discuss the value of animal models to provide insight into the brain and behaviour’ [22]

Here is part of a worked response to the above question – note that the response is fully focused on the use of animal models and animal research:

There are several advantages to using animal models in research.  Rats, for example, are bred specifically for lab research and are in easy supply which means that large numbers of them can be used to increase sample size and thus, reliability.  Because animals live for a shorter period than humans (e.g. mice live for around two or three years), they allow longitudinal study across a whole lifespan.  It is easier to control variables with animal subjects which in turn means that cause and effect are easier to demonstrate.  Additionally, there are some shared brain functions and genetics between humans and many animals (69% shared genetic material between humans and rats; 98.8% between humans and chimps).

Fadda et al. (1996) used rats to investigate how acetylcholine (ACh) was related to anticipation of learning and memory of T-maze routes to demonstrate the effect of ACh. The results showed a positive correlation between anticipation of the task, performance of the task, and memory of the task, with the ACh rats out-performing the control group.  The study may have relevance to human learning; the importance of practice in order to memorise a task e.g. to enhance exam performance it is necessary to practise likely questions (i.e. anticipation of possible questions) which may come up in the exam.

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Get unlimited access.

to absolutely everything:

• Downloadable PDFs
• Unlimited Revision Notes
• Topic Questions
• Past Papers
• Model Answers
• Videos (Maths and Science)

Join the 100,000 + Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Author: Claire Neeson

Claire has been teaching for 34 years, in the UK and overseas. She has taught GCSE, A-level and IB Psychology which has been a lot of fun and extremely exhausting! Claire is now a freelance Psychology teacher and content creator, producing textbooks, revision notes and (hopefully) exciting and interactive teaching materials for use in the classroom and for exam prep. Her passion (apart from Psychology of course) is roller skating and when she is not working (or watching 'Coronation Street') she can be found busting some impressive moves on her local roller rink.