Cockroaches to the rescue: A new approach to reintroduce animal labs to the psychology undergraduate curriculum.

Abstract

Animal laboratories have been a central part of undergraduate psychology education for decades. Courses such as learning and animal behavior have leveraged lab experiments, often using rats and pigeons, for hands-on research and learning experiences. The cost of animals, labs, and maintenance as well as the myriad ethical considerations with animals have steadily reduced the availability of animal labs on college campuses. Virtual lab experiences offer some utility but not to the degree of actual hands-on experience. This article explores the use of the discoid cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis) as an ideal invertebrate alternative to rats and pigeons. This animal model can be actualized at a fraction of the cost and with far fewer ethical confounds. Roaches are able to be classically and operantly conditioned, thus allowing students to gain experiences similar to those gained as when using more traditional animal models. Furthermore, because there is generally a dearth of psychological research on cockroaches, and discoid roaches specifically, students have the opportunity to conduct novel research during the course of a semester-long class. This may help engage students in psychology, research, and potentially publication as well as promote increased learning outcomes. Roachlab.org, a roach research resource, is discussed in terms of resources and goals.

Learning and memory in the orange head cockroach (Eublaberus posticus)

“…A final area of consideration is potential adaptation of our methods for the classroom. Several laboratories advocate use of insects to demonstrate psychological principles due to their inexpensive, practical nature [ 68 , 69 ], and E . posticus certainly fits these criteria.…”

“…A final area of consideration is potential adaptation of our methods for the classroom. Several laboratories advocate use of insects to demonstrate psychological principles due to their inexpensive, practical nature [68,69], and E. posticus certainly fits these criteria. Our method is especially suited to the classroom as E. posticus cannot fly or climb and can be worked with in open containers, unlike P. americana.…”

Habituation of the Light-Startle Response of Orange Head Cockroaches (Eublaberus posticus): Effects of Acclimation, Stimulus Duration, Presence of Food, and Intertrial Interval

“…While this idea is not new [ 68 ], there has been a recent emergence of laboratories using cockroaches as a medium to teach principles of comparative psychology and behavior analysis in the United States, including Mark Dixon’s laboratory at Southern Illinois University [ 69 ], Ben Witts’s laboratory at St. Cloud State University, Paul Andronis’s laboratory at Northern Michigan University, and Darby Proctor’s laboratory at the Florida Institute of Technology [ 70 ]. Our LSR conditioning methods offer a relatively practical, low-cost opportunity to demonstrate learning in classroom laboratories that may benefit many students.…”

Avaliação de professores sobre a participação de animais em atividades didáticas de Análise Experimental do Comportamento

“…A simples ausência de opções em práticas alternativas para o ensino de Psicologia não é um argumento válido há bastante tempo (e.g., Gallup & Suarez, 1985). No âmbito do ensino de ciências comportamentais há proposições de diversas práticas alternativas, seja incluindo a participação de animais não criados especificamente para esse fim -como pombos livres (Cohen & Block, 1990), cachorros de abrigo (McConnell, 2016), ou mesmo de baratas (Proctor & Jones, 2020) -, seja com métodos de fato alternativos, como softwares (Acker et al, 1990;Cihon et al, 2018;Goodhue et al, 2019;Graf, 1995;Hyten, 1989;Mulick, 1992;Ray & Miraglia, 2011;Shimoff & Catania, 1995) ou práticas com humanos (Epting & Green, 2011;Hodge & Nelson, 2002). Entretanto, a ideia de que tais alternativas são mal fundamentadas e/ou ainda não permitem alcançar os objetivos pretendidos parece ter permanecido entre parte expressiva dos professores de ciências em geral e de ciências comportamentais especificamente (Zemanova, 2021).…”