Sacrificing Animals in the Name of Scientific Authority: The Relationship Between Pro-Scientific Mindset and the Lethal Use of Animals in Biomedical Experimentation

Abstract

The present research investigated how scientific authority increases the lethal use of animals in biomedical experimentation. In two behavioral studies ( N = 151 and 150), participants were required to incrementally administer 12 doses of a toxic chemical to a 53-cm fish (in reality, a biomimetic robot) for research on animal learning. Consistent with the Engaged Followership Theory on obedience, participants placed in a pro-scientific mindset more severely harmed the laboratory animal. In a cross-sectional study ( N = 351), participants in medical fields endorsed a more pro-scientific attitude than those in paramedical fields, which mediated their support for animal experimentation. Drawing on a representative European sample ( N = 31,238), we also confirmed the specificity of this link by controlling for potential demographic and ideological confounds. In a final study ( N = 1,598), instrumental harm was shown as mediating the link between a pro-scientific attitude and support for animal experimentation.