Mental health

Paper PAPER 1

Reviewed

Use of animals in Psychological Research

1. 7-8% of psychological research involves the use of animals. 90% of the animals
employed in psychological study have been rats or birds. While researchers have utilised
a range of animal species. Only about 5% animals used are monkeys and primates.

2. Hans the Horse: 1900s, horse trainer was Wilhelm Von Ofsten. The horse was capable of
astonishing feats like simple arithmetic calculations, could tell time and communicate
using hoof taps. Oscar, a psychologist deducted through observation that Hans was
reading tell tale clues from the questioner. Unfortunately, Hans, a horse with such
intellect, was conscripted by Germany for their war effort and was killed in battle

3. Pavlov’s Dogs - salivating experiment

4. Tolman’s Rats: built maze and used rats to analyse what is known as latent learning

5. Skinner’s Mice: The rat mastered the art of knowing when to press the box to avoid
being shocked. The rat learns to associate the sound with reward or punishment.

6. Washoe, the first chimpanzee to learn sign language. The chimp learned to use over 250
different signs. This chimp had her obituary come out in the New York Times. To show
that culture and environment have a significant impact on how humans learn. They
treated this chimpanzee similarly to humans while observing.

7. Chaser the Border collie: It was not just the apes but also dogs; Chaser was trained by
psychologists Alliston Reid and John Pilley. Acc. to Pilley, play was a better learning tool
then a hunger for food. The study found that animals are not just thoughtless organisms
they also have the ability for independent thought and forming emotional bonds. Though
because of the emotional bond between Pilley and his dog seems to be considered a
potential for blurring his objectivity.

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 8. Thorndike’s Cat: principle of operant conditioning - made a puzzle box and put a cat in
the box and encouraged it to escape the box with the motivation of finding food. After
repeated trips in the box the cat found a lever which opened the escape door. Repeated
trials helped the cat learn that the lever is the key then instead of finding escape to cat
found the lever. The law of effect, which was created by the APA, states that activities
that produce good effects are more likely to be repeated than those that produce
negative ones. In contrast to other studies, this one shows that cats will not behave in
any way when mistreated, even when food is present as a reward.

9. Koko the Gorilla: Francine Patterson, a psychologist, taught Koko sign language. Koko
had a vocabulary at the same level of a 3 year old human. In contrast to other apes, Koko
grew up hearing English spoken around him. The ape developed human like tendencies
and also kept a pet cat and also named it. Koko also had an IQ between 70 and 90. It
taught us about emotional capacity of gorillas and their cognitive abilities which
continues to shape the world. This data demonstrates how apes may develop into humans
via hard labour and numerous offspring of educated and intellectual gorillas.

Criticism
1. there are a numerous number of such experiments are present in the field of psychology.
Some of the experiments involved electric shocks, drug injections, food depravation,
maternal separation and manipulating brain functions to determine the effects on sensory
and cognitive abilities as well as behavior

Screenwriters Association (SWA)

1. Hosted discussion "Sab Khairiyat" - platform where writers speak about their mental
health. Opening a spectrum of acceptance, both self and social, for those who need it.

2. A writer often has to travel from reality to fiction in writing. This journey of shifting
one's own identity from self to a character comes with a lot of cognitive energy.
Sometimes even the character can have a lon-lasting impact on one's personality and way
of thinking

Psychological first aid

1.

2.

3. Steps -

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 a. Consistent with research evidence on risk and resilience following trauma.

b. Applicable and practical in field settings. Appropriate to developmental level across

the lifespan.

c. Culturally informed.

d. Contact and engagement.

e. Safety and comfort. Stabilization. Information gathering.

f. Practical assistance.

g. Connection with social supports.

h. Information on coping support.

i. linkage with collaborative services (psychiatrist psychologist etc).

Indian government initiatives

1. National Mental Health Program (NMHP): was adopted by the government
in 1982 in response to the large number of mental disorders and shortage of mental health
professionals.

2. District Mental Health Programme (DMHP), 1996 - launched to provide community

mental health services at the primary health care level.

3. Mental Health Act: As part of the Mental Health Care Act 2017, every affected person
has access to mental healthcare and treatment from government institutions. It has
significantly reduced the significance of Section 309 IPC and attempts to commit suicide
are punishable only as exceptions.

4. Kiran Helpline: In 2020, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched
a 24/7 toll-free helpline 'Kiran' to provide mental health support.

5. Manodarpan Initiative: It aimed at providing psychosocial support to students,

teachers, and family members during the Covid-19 pandemic.

6. MANAS Mobile App: To promote mental well-being across age groups, the
Government of India launched MANAS (Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation
System) in 2021.

Dr. Vivek murthy urges congress to display

warning labels in social media

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 1. Dr. Murthy referenced research showing that social media use is linked to body image
concerns in nearly 50% of teenagers and doubles the likelihood of anxiety and depression
symptoms in those who spend over three hours daily on platforms. In a May 2023
advisory, he cautioned that social media poses a significant threat to the mental health
and well-being of young people, acknowledging the need for further understanding of
this complex issue.

2. He is pressing Congress to require social media companies to display warning labels on

their platforms, similar to those on tobacco and alcohol products, to alert users to the
potential mental health risks linked to excessive social media use.

3. Dr Murthy advocates for comprehensive measures to safeguard children's online well-

being, including banning data collection from minors, limiting features that promote
excessive use (such as notifications, autoplay, and endless scrolling), and mandating
independent safety audits. He believes these features exploit vulnerable young minds,
leading to harmful overuse.

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