Xref: utzoo sci.research:349 sci.psychology:231 talk.politics.misc:9221 talk.philosophy.misc:1003 soc.misc:694 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!labrea!polya!roberts From: roberts@polya.STANFORD.EDU (Paul Roberts) Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.psychology,talk.politics.misc,talk.philosophy.misc,soc.misc Subject: Annals of Research Message-ID: <2663@polya.STANFORD.EDU> Date: 21 Apr 88 22:06:36 GMT Organization: Stanford University Lines: 55 Keywords: baboons, stress _____________________________________________________________________ The following excerpt has been received with interest on the Stanford electronic bboard and may strike a resonant chord in the hearts and minds of many caring people around the world. If it appeals to you, please take the initiative to forward it to friends/colleagues who might be interested, and please post it to as many bulletin boards as seem appropriate to you. Let's get the word out! _____________________________________________________________________ J. Findley, W. Robinson, and W. Gilliam of the Johns Hopkins University Medical School have reported on a restraining chair they have developed for long-term studies on baboons. Noting that ``the difficulties of restraint increase markedly with the use of electric shock'' they ``anchor'' the baboons' arms so as not to allow the animal to straighten them. At the same time they allow room for ``considerable growth'' to be expected in a long-term study. For the delivery of electric shock the baboon is fitted with an electrode around the waist, and other metal parts, including the seat itself, serve as a second electrode for the delivery of electric current. The report states that twenty-two baboons and rhesus monkeys have been restrained in this manner for ``lengthy periods,'' - ``several'' of them for one-and-a-half years of ``continuous experimentation''. The same experimenters, joined by J. Brady, then carried out an experiment in which two baboons were placed in the restraining chairs and subjected to ``continuously programmed behavioural events'' twenty-four hours a day for over a year. The events included pressing levers to obtain food and to avoid electric shock, as well as rest and sleep periods. The baboons, in their chairs, lived in a soundproof box, four feet by four feet by three feet, which served as an ``experimental chamber.'' For two periods of six hours each in every twenty-four hours, a red light signalled the onset of electric shocks every two and one half minutes. If a baboon learned to press a lever 150 times the red light and electric shock would be turned off for a period of variable duration, averaging five minutes. Sometimes the shocks would occur before the baboon could complete the lever pressing, but eventually they learned to avoid ``all but a few shocks'' every day. The experimenters concluded that the study showed ``the adequacy of the animal restraint ... system for continuous long-term observation.'' They also measured increases in blood pressure and heart rate which they said related to the fact that the baboons had had to perform tasks involving ``aversive contingencies.'' (That is, electric shocks.) They noted that previous studies had been done on the blood pressure and heartbeat of monkeys under stress. [Citations: Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour, 15 (1) p. 69 (Jan 1971) Communications in Behavioral Biology, 6, p. 49 (1971) ] - from the book `Animal Liberation' by Peter Singer, pp 64-65. Peter Singer has been a faculty member at the Philosophy Departments of New York University and Oxford University.