Biological rhythms Flashcards

1
Q

What are biological rhythms?

A

Changes in body activity dependent on cycles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What two factors regulate biological rhythms?

A

Endogenous pacemakers
Exogenous zeitgebers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is a circadian rhythm?

A

A type of biological rhythm that is subject to a 24 hour cycle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is an example of a circadian rhythm?

A

The sleep/wake cycle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How long did Siffre spend in a dark cave?

A

6 months

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How did Siffre’s sleep/wake cycle change?

A

It was erratic at first, but then became 25 hours long

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What does Siffre’s results suggest?

A

That the circadian rhythm is free running, which means it’s not affected by exogenous zeitgebers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How long were the participants of Folkard et al’s study in a dark cave?

A

3 weeks

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How did the researcher of Folkard et al’s study try to influence the circadian rhythm of the participants?

A

He sped up the clock, so a day eventually lasted 22 hours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How many participants adjusted to the change in timings in Folkard et Al’s study?

A

1

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What do the results of Folkard et Al’s study suggest?

A

That our circadian rhythms cannot be easily influenced by external factors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is a strength of the research into the sleep/wake cycle?

A

Real life application - shift workers have a better understanding of how changing rhythms affects their productivity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is a limitation of the Case Studies of sleep/wake cycles?

A

Lack ecological validity - rare that people are in the dark for such extended periods of time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are infradian rhythms?

A

Cycles that take longer than 24 hours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are 2 examples of infradian rhythms?

A

The menstrual cycle
Seasonal affective disorder

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How is the menstrual cycle governed?

A

Through changes in hormone levels which regulate ovulation

17
Q

Who were the participants of Stern and McClintock’s research?

A

29 women with irregular periods

18
Q

How many women did Stern and McClintock take pheromones from and how did they do it?

A

9
They had a pad under their armpit for 8 hours at different parts of their cycles

19
Q

What did Stern and McClintock do with the pheromones from the 9 women?

A

They rubbed them onto the upper lips of the other 20 participants on the corresponding days of their cycle

20
Q

What did Stern and McClintock find?

A

68% of women experienced changes to their cycle and started to sync with their “donor”, suggesting that the menstrual cycle can be influenced by other women

21
Q

What is seasonal affective disorder?

A

A depressive disorder which has seasonal patterns

22
Q

What is the cause of seasonal affective disorder?

A

More melatonin is secreted during winter months due to the lack of daylight. This is thought to have an effect on the production of serotonin in the brain.

23
Q

What is a limitation of the research into menstrual cycle syncing?

A

There are lots of other factors that influence the menstrual cycle such as stress/diet, so we can’t be sure it’s due to pheromones

24
Q

How has research into seasonal affective disorder been applied to the real world?

A

Phototherapy is a treatment for seasonal affective disorder (resets melatonin levels)

25
What are ultradian rhythms?
Biological rhythms taking less than 24 hours
26
What is an example of an ultradian rhythm?
The sleep cycle
27
How many stages are in the sleep cycle?
5
28
How long is one sleep cycle?
90 minutes
29
Which stages of sleep are the ‘light sleep’ stages?
1 and 2
30
Which stages of sleep are the ‘deep sleep’ stages?
3 and 4
31
Which stage of sleep is ‘REM sleep’?
5
32
What does REM stand for?
Rapid Eye Movement
33
Which waves are present during stage 1 of the sleep cycle?
Alpha
34
Which waves are present during stage 2 of the sleep cycle?
Theta
35
Which waves are present during stages 3 and 4 of the sleep cycle?
Theta
36
During ‘light sleep’ it is…
Easy to be woken up
37
During ‘deep sleep’ it is…
Difficult to be woken up
38
In which stage of sleep does dreaming occur?
5 (REM)
39
What is a strength of the research into the sleep cycle?
It is all scientific and objective (EEGs used)