Hunt, M. J., & Macaskill, A. C. (2017). Student Responses to Active Learning Activities With Live and Virtual Rats in Psychology Teaching Laboratories. Teaching of Psychology, 44(2), 160–164.
This article takes an ethical approach to using nonhuman animals in laboratory teaching compared to the benefits of alternative teaching practices. The authors are from the School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. The study compared upper level undergraduate students’ evaluations of psychology laboratories using live rats with their evaluations of using a virtual rat (Sniffy). Each student worked individually with Sniffy Pro Version 5 (Thomson Wadsworth) for about 90 mins. This lab was not graded but students could not pass the course if they were absent without a documented excuse. The rat labs occurred during the 2 weeks following the virtual-rat lab. Teams of approximately six students worked with one Norway hooded rat and completed six 1-hr sessions. Any student could opt out of working with a live rat and instead complete alternative coursework. An anonymous questionnaire was completed during the final lecture period. Students (n= 79) reported that the live-rat labs were ethically acceptable and that working with live rats enhanced their learning to a greater extent than working with Sniffy. These results support the retention of laboratories using live rats in psychology courses.