The sterility was also maintained, so the mice were free from any serious diseases. Every four to eight weeks the whole area was cleaned out, removing the leftovers, excrement, and other municipal waste. The inhabitants of the utopian universe enjoyed delicate and pleasant wind generated by a fan. The temperature was maintained at 20-30☌ and it would change depending on the month. Other aspects of their lives were also taken care of. The resources were calculated in such way that the mice could live without “worrying” about anything until reaching the number of 3840 rodents. They had the already mentioned unlimited access to food, water, and materials needed to build nests. The four pairs of mice were living in an enclosed square area of 2.57m x 2.57m. What exactly did the experiment look like? Everything was available at their paw tips.Īlthough the beginning of the experiment seems ordinary, the course of the study, as well as the results, are quite astonishing. The mice were provided with food, water, and nesting material. The utopian universe provided rodents with unlimited access to everything necessary for the animals to survive. One of most shocking experiments performed by the behavioral researcher is known as the Mouse Utopia Experiment.ĭuring the experiment, a group of eight mice were living in ideal environmental conditions. The most important experiments were conducted in the 1950s and 1960s. Calhoun was an extremely famous ethologist who studied mainly behavior of mice and rats at the National Institutes of Health (USA). Although Calhoun’s discoveries are thought to be some of the most important in the history of psychology, (Hock, 2004 as cited in: Ramsden, Adams 2009) the scientist’s work is not as widely known as experiments performed by Zimbardo or Milgram.ĭr. One may have doubts about the conclusions of the experiment however, we will discuss those a bit later.įirst, let’s talk about the experiment itself. In contrast to fake, poorly-photoshopped Albert Einstein’s quotes, Calhoun’s experiment has actually been carried out.
John Calhoun’s behavior experiments.Īmong other things, the conclusions drawn up from Calhoun’s experiment are used to criticize abundant societies, to seek ways of organizing cities, and to explain the origins of feminist movements or the disappearance of masculinity. Such a headline is usually tied to articles describing }r. “Shocking experiment reveals the condition of our society!”
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