behavioral sink

the destructive behaviors among nonhuman animals that occur with overcrowding; these include increased aggression and decreased maternal behavior. This was an unexpected finding of studies in 1962 by U.S. experimental psychologist John B. Calhoun (1917–1995) in which rats were given unlimited food and water and allowed to reproduce without intervention. Population density increased rapidly, and the animals displayed increasingly pathological behavior.

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Psychology term of the day

November 19th 2024

nuclear warfare

the use of nuclear weapons in combat, which causes enormous destruction with potentially both physical and psychological effects on the survivors.