Final answer:
The nature of research dictates the use of human participants or animal subjects based on ethical considerations. Animal research is regulated to minimize suffering and ethical guidelines such as the three R's are applied to ensure humane treatment. Society benefits from medical advancements arising from this research, highlighting the importance of balancing potential benefits and ethical treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nature of research significantly influences the choice between using human participants or animal subjects. In the realm of psychology and medicine, ethical considerations play a pivotal role in this decision-making process. Researchers must adhere to ethical standards such as informed consent, which animals cannot provide, thus extra precautions need to be implemented to ensure animals are treated humanely.
Research involving animals is strictly regulated to minimize suffering. Approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is mandatory, and animal facilities undergo regular inspections. Despite the ethical concerns, animal research has contributed significantly to medical advancements, and most societies that have conducted clinical trials value the principle of not treating humans merely as a means to an end. The debate revolves around whether the ends justify the means and if there are alternative methods available that are more acceptable. The NIH guidelines emphasize the three R's: replace, refine, and reduce, pushing researchers to seek alternatives to animal models when possible.
It's undeniable that animal research has led to advancements that have benefited society. Thinking about how we or people we know have benefited from medical interventions developed through such research, underscores the complex nature of the ethical dilemma faced by researchers, balancing the potential benefits against the ethical treatment of research subjects, be they human or animal.