The science of animal suffering

动物痛苦的科学

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-04620
• 负责人: Weary, Daniel
• 金额: $ 4.44万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=631012
• 关键词: science; animal; suffering

Research on quality of life in humans illustrates that assessments of our own well-being are only partially related to what we have. Our sense of agency (how we gain access to the things we value, including our ability to learn about different outcomes and to make informed choices) is also critical. Recent reviews have revealed that agency may be important for the welfare of nonhuman animals. Pain is a key aspect of animal welfare, but until now the effect of agency on the experience of pain in animals has not been studied. My hypothesis is that agency critically affects how pain is experienced. My more provocative claim is that, in the absence of control and predictability, pain is more likely to be considered suffering, a distinction crucial in societal concerns about welfare. I propose a series of experiments with two main goals. The first is to test the prediction that animals will show lower responses to the identical pain stimulus, if tested in situations with i) knowledge of when and where the stimuli will be applied, including specific cues that make the stimuli predictable, and ii) the ability to control exposure (duration and magnitude) to the stimulus. Human patient reports of suffering are often accompanied by depression like states (low mood). I propose that pain in animals is of particular concern if it too causes or is associated with evidence of low mood. I also argue that animals in pain will show less evidence of low mood if living in environments that afford good predictability and control. The proposed studies will include both laboratory rats and dairy cattle, as both animals are subjected to a variety of routine, painful procedures, often under conditions of poor agency, providing a baseline for the proposed studies that can be compared with conditions that provide more information and control. The studies will use a suite of both novel and established measures of pain and mood states in these animals. The proposed experiments will contribute to the basic literature in animal welfare science and on affective states in animals, and may have important implications for our understanding of the welfare of animals kept in laboratory and agricultural systems. This research will provide insights into which procedures and practices are likely to accentuate pain responses, and increase the likelihood that pain is accompanied by low mood in animals. The development of a conceptual framework and methodology for the scientific assessment of suffering in animals will help inspire new research directed at harms experienced by animals under our care. The funds will go toward training of young scientists to help meet a growing demand for academics and professionals with expertise in animal welfare research.

对人类生活质量的研究表明，对我们自己幸福的评估与我们所拥有的只有部分关系。我们的能动性（我们如何获得我们重视的东西，包括我们了解不同结果和做出明智选择的能力）也很关键。最近的评论表明，机构可能对非人类动物的福利很重要。疼痛是动物福利的一个关键方面，但迄今为止，尚未研究过动物疼痛体验的机构效应。我的假设是，能动性对疼痛的体验有着至关重要的影响。我更具有挑衅性的主张是，在缺乏控制和可预测性的情况下，疼痛更有可能被视为痛苦，这是社会对福利的关注中至关重要的区别。我提出了一系列实验，主要有两个目标。第一个是测试动物对相同疼痛刺激表现出较低反应的预测，如果在以下情况下进行测试：i）知道何时何地施加刺激，包括使刺激可预测的特定线索，以及ii）控制刺激暴露（持续时间和幅度）的能力。人类患者报告的痛苦往往伴随着抑郁样状态（情绪低落）。我认为，如果动物的疼痛也会导致情绪低落或与情绪低落的证据有关，那么动物的疼痛就特别值得关注。我还认为，如果生活在具有良好可预测性和控制力的环境中，处于痛苦中的动物会表现出较少的情绪低落。拟议的研究将包括实验室大鼠和奶牛，因为这两种动物都经历了各种常规的、痛苦的程序，通常是在机构不良的条件下进行的，为拟议的研究提供了一个基线，可以与提供更多信息和控制的条件进行比较。这些研究将使用一套新的和建立的疼痛和情绪状态的测量方法。拟议的实验将有助于动物福利科学和动物的情感状态的基础文献，并可能对我们的理解在实验室和农业系统中的动物福利有重要的影响。这项研究将深入了解哪些程序和做法可能会加剧疼痛反应，并增加动物疼痛伴随情绪低落的可能性。为动物痛苦的科学评估制定一个概念框架和方法，将有助于激发针对我们所照顾的动物所经历的伤害的新研究。这些资金将用于培训年轻科学家，以满足对具有动物福利研究专业知识的学者和专业人士日益增长的需求。