Elsevier

Behavioural Brain Research

Volume 159, Issue 2, 30 April 2005, Pages 243-245
Behavioural Brain Research

Short communication
Familiarity increases consistency in animal tests

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2004.11.005Get rights and content

Abstract

This experiment investigated the effect of identity of the experimenter and familiarity to their test animals on results obtained from a standard test of anxiety. We found that having different experimenters perform the same test (i.e. elevated plus maze) using the same equipment and rats from the same breeding colony within the same room of the same laboratory significantly affects the results if the experimenters are unfamiliar to the animals, but not if they are familiar to them. Familiarity of the test animals with their experimenters should therefore increase consistency in results from animal tests.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Pfizer/LASA Animal Welfare Research Fund and Central Science Laboratory. We are also grateful to Colin Hendrie, Martyn Pickersgill, Ian Inglis, and the five experimenters for their involvement, and three referees for their constructive comments.

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