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Historical Perspectives with Mr. Mault
Historical Perspectives are stories and articles for kids. These QUICK pieces are to be used with Historical Perspective resource packs on Teachers Pay Teachers. These packs include articles about the topic, primary source documents from the Library of Congress, comprehension activities, deep-dive questions, and so much more. I hope you enjoy these stories and articles!
To learn more, search Historical Perspectives on www.teacherspayteachers.com or on www.mrmaultsmarketplace.com.
Historical Perspectives with Mr. Mault
The Mouse Utopia That Fell Apart: A SPECIAL One Part Podcast Episode for Kids
What happens when a society has everything it needs: food, safety, comfort, but still collapses?
In this episode, we tell the true story of Universe 25, a famous mouse experiment by researcher John B. Calhoun that explored population growth, social behavior, and the breakdown of community in a resource-rich environment. Often misunderstood and dramatized online, this episode separates myth from science and explains what Calhoun actually observed and what he warned us not to conclude.
A story about behavioral sink, social roles, belonging, and meaning, this episode invites listeners to rethink what “utopia” really means and why survival alone isn’t the same as living.
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References
Calhoun, J. B. (1962). Population density and social pathology. Scientific American, 206(2), 139–148.
Calhoun, J. B. (1973). Death squared: The explosive growth and demise of a mouse population. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 66(1), 80–88.
Calhoun, J. B. (1986). The ecological context of behavior. In J. B. Calhoun (Ed.), The social biology of Rattus norvegicus (pp. 1–26). National Institute of Mental Health.
Ramsden, E., & Adams, J. (2009). Escaping the laboratory: The rodent experiments of John B. Calhoun and their cultural influence. Journal of Social History, 42(3), 761–792.
Sparks, J. (2017). The myth of behavioral sink. Psychology Today.