Bio psych- bio rhythms

Question 1

What is a biological rhythm

Answer 1

A biological rhythm is any change in a physiological activity that repeats periodically in a set pattern.

Question 2

What is a circadian rhythm

Answer 2

One cycle that lasts approx one day

Question 3

What is an infradian rhythm

Answer 3

One cycle that takes longer than 24 hours

Question 4

What is an ultradian rhythm

Answer 4

One cycle that takes less than 24 hours

Question 5

What is an example of a circadian rhythm

Answer 5

sleep/wakingbody tempmetabolic activity hormones

Question 6

What is an example of an infradian rhythm

Answer 6

MenstruationhibernationSAD

Question 7

What is an example of an ultradian rhythm

Answer 7

Feedingstages of sleepalertness

Question 8

An infradian rhythm lasts _____ than 24 hours

Answer 8

more

Question 9

What happens in the first 10-14 days of the menstrual cycle

Answer 9

Oestrogen and progesterone at the lowest levelsWhen bleeding stops FSH levels rise causing growth of ovarian follicles

Question 10

What is the first 10-14 days of the menstrual cycle called

Answer 10

The follicular phase

Question 11

What happens at day 14 of the menstrual cycle

Answer 11

Ovulatory phase starts with FSH signaling ovaries to produce oestrogen, which causes LM to surge and that releases the largest egg in the fallopian tubes, ready for fertilisation

Question 12

What stage starts at day 14 of the menstrual cycle

Answer 12

Ovulatory phase

Question 13

Ultradian rhythms last _____ than 24 hours

Answer 13

less

Question 14

The pattern of human sleep moves systematically through different stages that repeat approximately every ___ minutes

Answer 14

90

Question 15

What time does body temperature peak and at what temperature

Answer 15

Mid afternoon at about 37.1

Question 16

What time does body temperature fall and at what temperature

Answer 16

Early hours of the morning (about 4 AM) at about 36.1

Question 17

What three factors is body temp influenced by

Answer 17

Muscular activitydigestionheat lossheat production

Question 18

What is an edogeneous pacemaker

Answer 18

Internal body clocks that influence the patterns of our biological rhythms. These may be genetic mechanisms.

Question 19

Two examples of an edogenous pacemaker

Answer 19

Pineal gland SCN (superchiasmatic nucleus)

Question 20

What are the five steps of the sleep wake cycle

Answer 20

1) SCN recieves info that light levels have dropped via the optic nerve 2) Pineal gland secretes melatonin which causes sleepiness 3) Melatonin enhances the production of serotonin 4) Brain activity falls5) You fall asleep

Question 21

How long did Siffre spend in an underground cave, away from natural light/dark cycles

Answer 21

6 months

Question 22

What did being away from natural light/dark cycles allow SIffre to investigate

Answer 22

What happens when the bodily sleep-wake cycle is allowed to ‘free run’ away from exogenous zeitgebers.

Question 23

What happened to Siffre sleep wake cycle at first

Answer 23

It was very erratic

Question 24

What did Siffres sleep wake cycles settle down to

Answer 24

A fairly regular pattern of between 25 and 30 hours

Question 25

How many days did Siffre think he was underground for

Answer 25

151nearly 150

Question 26

Evaluation of bio rhythms -evidence, Siffre

Answer 26

Spent 6 months in underground cave away from natural sleep wake cycleFormed his own cycle of between 25-30 hours Thought he was down there for 151 days, but was actually down for 179Shows how exogenous zietgeburs effect sleep wake cycle

Question 27

Evaluation of bio rhythms -Issue with Siffre

Answer 27

Brief summary of Siffre’s method and the issue with his only participant being himself: generalisability / representativeness / androcentric / ethnocentric / population validity / external validity.

Question 28

Evaluation of bio rhythms-Evidence, Ralph et al

Answer 28

Ralph et al. (1990)Took the SCN from a ‘mutant hamster’ who had a circadian rhythm which had mutated to 20 hours.They transplanted the mutant SCN into the brains of normal adult hamsters.The normal hamsters took on the circadian rhythms of the mutant hamsters.Despite the shortcomings of less scientific case study research findings, EPs do play an important role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle.

Question 29

Evaluation of bio rhythms -Issues with Ralph et al

Answer 29

Animal study Evolutionary discontinuity etc etc

Question 30

What are exogenous zietgeburs

Answer 30

external stimuli which provide information about elapsed time and prompt changes in bodily activity and the patterns of our biological rhythms.

Question 31

What did Vetter et al study

Answer 31

The effect of changing light temp from 4000 kelvin to 8000 kelvin on the sleep-wake and activity-rest behaviour

Question 32

What was the sample of Vetter et al's study

Answer 32

54 participants 27 experimental group 27 control group

Question 33

What method did Vetter et al use

Answer 33

27 experimental group experienced light change was compared to control group who remained at 4000 K throughout the 5 week study period Sleep logs continuously assessed sleep wake behaviour and activity patterns

Question 34

What did Vetter et al find

Answer 34

Artificial blue enriched light competes with natural light as a zeitgebur While pts working under natural light (4000K) appeared to synchronise to natural dawn, those who were working under blue enriched (8000K) appeared to synchronise to office hours

Question 35

What did Vetter et al conclude

Answer 35

Light is the dominant zietgebur for the human clock and blue enriched light is a potent zietgebur to be used with caution

Question 36

EValuation of bio rhythms -Vetters work into exogenous zietgeburs

Answer 36

27 experimental group experienced light change was compared to control group who remained at 4000 K throughout the 5 week study period Sleep logs continuously assessed sleep wake behaviour and activity patternsArtificial blue enriched light competes with natural light as a zeitgebur While pts working under natural light (4000K) appeared to synchronise to natural dawn, those who were working under blue enriched (8000K) appeared to synchronise to office hours

Question 37

Evaluation of bio rhythms -Methodological issues with Vetter's work

Answer 37

Can’t control all light sources - when they’re going to and from work they’ll be surrounded by natural light outside.Lack of internal validity

Question 38

Evaluation of bio rhythms- Contrasting evidence for zietgeburs, Luce and Segal

Answer 38

Argue light is over ridden People in artic circle remain consistent with sleep wake (averaging 7 hours a night) despite having 6 months of darkness in winter and 6 months of light in summerSocial factors that reset endogenous rhythms rather than light levels

Question 39

Evaluation of bio rhythms - Individual differences in repsonse to EZ's and EP's

Answer 39

Age has an impact on how much sleep people need which in turn may influence how they respond to EZ’s and how their EP’s function (older people need less sleep than younger people). Personality also seems to play a role in levels of alertness at certain times of day which again might influence how they respond to EZ’s and how their EP’s function.