My point here isn’t necessarily that you’re wrong, but that you can make a stronger point by acknowledging and addressing the existing literature. Explain why you’ve settled on suicidal behavior as the best available indicator, as opposed to vocalizations and mannerisms.
This is important because, as gbear605 pointed out, most farms restrict animals’ ability to attempt suicide. If suicide attempts are your main criterion, that seems likely to skew your results. (The same is true of several other obvious indicators of dissatisfaction, such as escape attempts.)
Most of the research is aware of that limitation. Either they address it directly, or the experiment is designed to work around it, assuming mental state based on actions just as you suggest.
My point here isn’t necessarily that you’re wrong, but that you can make a stronger point by acknowledging and addressing the existing literature. Explain why you’ve settled on suicidal behavior as the best available indicator, as opposed to vocalizations and mannerisms.
This is important because, as gbear605 pointed out, most farms restrict animals’ ability to attempt suicide. If suicide attempts are your main criterion, that seems likely to skew your results. (The same is true of several other obvious indicators of dissatisfaction, such as escape attempts.)