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A-Level Psychology > Biopsychology > Flashcards

Biopsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

What’s the human nervous system

A

a body wide systen of nerve cells that collects information from the world, processes this information and then takes action by directing body organs and muscles via the transmission of electro chemical messages

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2
Q

What are the two sections of the nervous system

A

• The central nervous system
• The peripheral nervous system

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3
Q

What does the central nervous system do

A

Provides complex processing and consists of the brain and the spinal chord; the brain’s responsible for all conscious and most unconscious processing and is involved in all psychological processes, the spinal chord facilitates the transferral of messages to and from the brain to the peripheral nervous systen and is involved in reflex actions.

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4
Q

What are the 4 main regions of the brain

A
  1. Frontal lobe
  2. Parietal lobe
  3. Temporal lobe
  4. Occipital lobe
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5
Q

What’s the role of the frontal lobe

A

Higher order functioning. Eg. Planning, abstract thinking, reasoning

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6
Q

What’s the function of the parietal lobe

A

Integrates information from the senses and plays an important role in spatial navigation (perception)

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7
Q

What’s the function of the temporal lobe

A

Auditory information

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8
Q

What’s the function of the occipital lobe

A

Visual information

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9
Q

What’s the function of the brain stem

A

The brain stem controls involuntary processes Eg, breathing/digestion

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10
Q

What are the two sections of the peripheral nervous system

A

• The somatic nervous system
• The autonomic nervous system

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11
Q

What’s the role of the somatic nervous system

A

Responsible for voluntary movements, controlling skeletal muscles for movement

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12
Q

What’s the role of the autonomic nervous system

A

Responsible for involuntary actions controlling internal organs and glands (homeostasis)

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13
Q

What are the two sections of the autonomic nervous system

A

• The sympathetic nervous system
• The parasympathetic nervous system

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14
Q

What’s the role of the sympathetic nervous system

A

Fight or flight; increases bodily activities to prepare the body to face danger and releases adrenaline and noradrenaline

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15
Q

What’s the role of the parasympathetic nervous system (3)

A
  1. Returns the body to rest.
  2. Decreases bodily activities
  3. Releases acetylcholine (a-see-tile-co-lean)
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16
Q

What bodily responses are caused by the autonomic nervous system (5)

A
  1. Dilated pupils
  2. Increased heart rate
  3. Increased breathing rate,
  4. Slows down less important processes eg, digestion (vasoconstriction),
  5. Vasodilation of blood vessels towards active muscles
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17
Q

How many neurones are in the brain

A

100 billion

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18
Q

How many neurones are in the spinal chord

A

1 billion

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19
Q

What do neurones do

A

Receive information and transmit it to other cells

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20
Q

What are the three types of neurones

A
  1. Sensory (afferent) neurones
  2. Relay (interneurone) neurones
  3. Motor neurones
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21
Q

What’s the function of the cell body in a neurone (3)

A
  1. Controls centre and structure of the neurone
  2. Protects the nucleus
  3. Electrical impulses travel away from the cell body
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22
Q

What’s the function of dendrites in a neurone

A

• Receive electrical impulses from nearby neurones or sensory receptor cells

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23
Q

How are dendrites in neurones adapted

A

They cover a large surface area

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24
Q

What’s the function of the myelin sheath in a neurone (2)

A
  1. Protects the axon
  2. Increases the speed of electrical impulses that travel down from the cell body
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25
Q

What’s the function of a Schwann cell in a neurone

A

• Creates myelin

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26
Q

What’s the function of a nucleus (2)

A

• Contains DNA- genetic information
• Controls cell activity

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27
Q

What’s the function of an axon in a neurone

A

• Electrical impulses travel (in one direction) down the long slender fibre

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28
Q

What’s the function of the axon terminal (‘terminal button’) in a neurone

A

Location of synapse transmission

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29
Q

What’s a node of Ranvier in a neurone

A

Unmyelinated gaps in the axon

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30
Q

What’s the function of a node of Ranvier in a neurone

A

Further increases the speed of electrical impulse, (the electrical impulse jumps from one node of Ranvier to the next)

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31
Q

The process where an electrical impulse jumps from one node of Ranvier to the next

A

Saltatory conduction

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32
Q

Name the components of a typical neurone (8)

A
  1. Cell body
  2. Nucleus
  3. Dendrites
  4. Axon
  5. Myelin sheath
  6. Nodes of Ranvier
  7. Schwann cell
  8. Axon terminal
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33
Q

What’s the function of a sensory neurone (3)
PCP
TT
S

A
  1. Inform the brain about the internal and external environment by processing sensory information they receive via receptors and converting it to an action potential and passing these impulses on to the central nervous system
  2. Help transport sensory neural impulses from receptors that are sent to the brain and translated into an understandable form so the organism can react to the stimulus
  3. Can send signals to other neurones
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34
Q

What’s a sensory neurone also called (2)

A
  1. Afferent neurone
  2. Nervous system cell
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35
Q

What’s the function of a relay neurone

A

• Carry messages from one part of the central nervous system to another, they connect sensory and motor neurones acting to relay signals

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36
Q

Where are relay neurones only found (3)

A
  1. Brain
  2. Spinal chord
  3. Visual system
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37
Q

What’s the function of a motor neurone (2)

A
  1. Carries signals from the central nervous system which helps organs muscles and functions
  2. Controls muscle contractions. When stimulated they release neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on muscles to trigger a response which leads to movement.
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38
Q

What’s synaptic transmission

A

The process for transmitting messages from neurone to neurone

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39
Q

Why’s information passed chemically across a synapse

A

Electrical impulses can’t cross the synapse (gap) from the axon terminal to the adjacent dendrite

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40
Q

What’s a neurotransmitter

A

Chemical messenger released by neurones. Stimulating (or inhibiting) the development of an action potential in other post synaptic neurones

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41
Q

Describe the process of neurotransmission

A
  1. Action potential arrives at the axon terminal
  2. Vesicles merge with the membrane of the presynaptic cell, releasing neurotransmitters into the synaptic fluid in the synapse
  3. These neurotransmitters diffuse to the post synaptic cell across the synapse (UNI DIRECTIONAL) which has certain enzymes that cause DEGRADATION of neurotransmitters that’ve done their action
  4. The post synaptic membrane must then quickly take up the neurotransmitters from the fluid and convert them to an electrical impulse to travel down the neurone to the next presynaptic terminal
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42
Q

How long does it take for visual information to be mostly encoded

A

Within the first 50-100 milliseconds of neuronal activity

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43
Q

What’s Re-uptake during synaptic transmission and where does it happen

A

Neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the presynaptic cell after transmitting a neural impulse. This happens at transport proteins and prepares the cell to fire again

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44
Q

What does uni-directional refer to during synaptic transmission

A

Information passed chemically (neurotransmission) between neurones can only be passed in one direction

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45
Q

What’s Summation

A

The combined (summed) effect of all the excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter influences on the post synaptic neurone. If a threshold is reached then a new action potential will form in the post synaptic cell

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46
Q

What’s an excitatory neurotransmitter

A

They increase the likelihood of a new action potential forming in the postsynaptic cell. When detected by receptors in the post synaptic cell, they make the electrical charge inside more positive and more likely to fire.
Depolarisation: (positively charged sodium ions (Na+) enter the post synaptic cell)

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47
Q

What’s an inhibitory neurotransmitter

A

They decrease the likelihood of a new action potential forming in the postsynaptic cell.
When detected by receptors in the post synaptic cell, they make the electrical charge inside more negative and less likely to fire.
Hyperpolarisation: (positively charged potassium ions (K+) leave the post synaptic cell)

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48
Q

What do excitatory neurotransmitters do + an example

A

Stimulate the brain (Glutamate)

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49
Q

What do inhibitory neurotransmitters do + an example

A

Calm the brain and create balance and are easily depleted when the excitatory neurotransmitters are overreactive. (Seratonin)

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50
Q

What’s an SSRI (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor)

A

A class of drug that influence the process of neurotransmission. (In this case blocking serotonin) being reabsorbed into the postsynaptic cell, increasing its level in the synapse

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51
Q

Name all the glands of the endocrine system

A
  1. Pituitary gland
  2. Hypothalamus
  3. Pineal gland
  4. Thyroid gland
  5. Thymus gland
  6. Pancreas
  7. Adrenal glands
  8. Testes (male)
  9. Ovaries (female)
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52
Q

What’s the mnemonic to remember the endocrine glands

A

PHP TT PATO

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53
Q

What’s the role of the adrenal glands

A

Regulates biological effects of the fight or flight response, increasing heart rate, blood supply to muscles and sweating.

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54
Q

Hormones of the adrenal medulla (2)

A
  1. Adrenaline: increases heart rate, oxygen intake and blood flow
  2. Noradrenaline: maintains blood pressure
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55
Q

What’s the role of the pituitary gland

A

Controls the release of hormones from other glands

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56
Q

Hormones released from the anterior pituitary gland (3)

A
  1. Adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) hormone: stimulates the release of corticosteroids during the fight or flight response
  2. Prolactin: Stimulates production of milk from mammary glands (breasts)
  3. Growth hormone: cell growth and manipulation
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57
Q

Hormone of the adrenal cortex

A

• Cortisol: Stimulates the release of glucose to provide the body with energy, while suppressing the immune system

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58
Q

What do the hormones of the adrenal medulla control

A

Fight or flight response

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59
Q

What are the two parts of the adrenal glands

A

• Adrenal medulla
• Adrenal cortex

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60
Q

Hormones released from the posterior pituitary gland (2)

A
  1. Anti- diuretic hormone (ADH)/Vasopressin: regulates water balance
  2. Oxytocin: uterine contractions during childbirth
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61
Q

Role of the hypothalamus

A

Links the nervous system to the endocrine system in combination with the pituitary gland and maintains homeostasis of bodily systems

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62
Q

Hormone of the hypothalamus

A

• Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH):
- the main regulating hormone of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis
- plays a central role in the adaptation to stress

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63
Q

Role of the Pineal gland

A

Modulates sleep patterns, keeping the body to a day/ night circadian rhythm

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64
Q

Hormone of the pineal gland

A

Melatonin: manages your sleep-wake cycle

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65
Q

Role of the thyroid gland

A

(Butterfly shaped gland at the front of the neck)
Modulates metabolism (rate of energy use in the body)

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66
Q

Hormone of the thyroid gland

A

• Thyroxine: Regulates metabolic rate and protein synthesis

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67
Q

Role of the thymus gland

A

Located in the chest, the thymus stimulates the development of T-cells that work in the immune system helping with disease resistance and active only until puberty

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68
Q

Hormone of the thymus

A

Thymosin: stimulates the production of T-cells and assist in the development of B-cells to plasma cells to produce antibodies

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69
Q

Role of the pancreas

A

Located just behind the stomach, the pancreas regulates blood sugar levels, problems with this system lead to diabetes

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70
Q

Hormones of the pancreas (2)

A

Insulin:
enables blood glucose to enter cells where it’s used for energy (keeps blood glucose going to high)

Glucagon:
breaks down glycogen to glucose in the liver (keeps blood glucose dropping too low)

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71
Q

Role of the testes and ovaries

A

Reproductive glands. Develops secondary sexual characteristics in both males and females, appearing and puberty

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72
Q

Hormone of the testes

A

Testosterone: male sexual characteristics and muscle mass

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73
Q

Hormones of the ovaries

A

Oestrogen: female sexual characteristics, menstruation, pregnancy

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74
Q

What’s the fight or flight response

A

An evolutionary survival mechanism in response to a threat

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75
Q

What does the fight or flight response do and what happens after

A

Primes the body and mind for extreme action, fighting for our life or escaping a threat
AFTER: once the threat has passed the body returns to homeostasis

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76
Q

What’s the problem with the fight or flight response

A

It’s not designed for the modern world, it’s maladaptive in most situations

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77
Q

What’s acute stress

A

A common form of stress in response to immediate pressures, it can be exciting in small amounts and provide focus and energy, but can be exhausting if maintained

78
Q

What’s chronic stress

A

A long term form of stress in response to prolonged emotional pressure. This often occurs in situations the individual feels unable to control

79
Q

Outline the process of fight or flight

A
  • A threat is recognised causing a stress response
  • The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and triggers the endocrine system via the pituitary gland
  • In the endocrine system… the hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland to release ACTH, resulting in the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol from the adrenal cortex
  • In the autonomic nervous system, a specialised connection from the brain to the adrenal gland called the SYMPATHETIC ADRENOMEDULLARY PATHWAY (SAM) is triggered causing adrenaline and noradrenaline to be released from the adrenal medulla
80
Q

What glands important to the sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system

A

The adrenal gland

81
Q

Why’s the adrenal gland important for the flight or fight response

A

It’s important for the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system

82
Q

What does ACTH stand for

A

Adrenocorticotropic hormone

83
Q

What does ACTH do

A

Secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, ACTH is a response to stress and regulates cortisol

84
Q

What’s the role of adrenaline and noradrenaline

A
  1. Increased blood flow to the brain and skeletal muscles for quick thinking and reactions
  2. Decreased blood flow to systems that aren’t time critical such as the skin, digestive system and immune system
  3. Dilated pupils for improved vision
  4. Faster breathing for increased oxygen in the blood
  5. Increased sweating to remove heat
  6. Psychological effects of increased anxiety, attention and increased alertness (3 A’s)
85
Q

What causes stress related illnesses and what are the effects

A

Constant triggering of the fight or flight response in chronic stress has long term effects on physical and mental health because the immune and digestive systems are shut down causing high blood pressure and resulting in anxiety

86
Q

What do stress related illnesses increase the risk of

A

Heart disease, obesity, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). A general lowering of resistance to disease and can result in depression

87
Q

What are four practical applications of circadian rhythms

A
  1. Jet lag
  2. Shift work
  3. Drug and health treatments
  4. (Blue) Light exposure
88
Q

How does understanding circadian rhythms help with jet lag and shift work

A

Due to sleep pattern disruption leading to anxiety and decreased alertness/ vigilance, a psychological understanding will lead to solutions to the negative effects of jet lag and shift work resulting in psychology having a positive effect on the wider economy

89
Q

How does understanding circadian rhythms help with drug and health treatments

A

An understanding of the circadian blood pressure rhythm will help timing of drug and health treatments

90
Q

How does understanding circadian rhythms help with maintaining healthy sleep patterns

A

Knowing the psychological effects of exposure to light, particularly blue light, has implications as technology changes and were exposed to more blue light at night from personal devices and new LED road lighting. This procédés people with advice on how to maintain healthy sleep patterns

91
Q

What’s the most influential exogenous zeitgeber

A

Light

92
Q

What research provides evidence that lights the most important exogenous zeitgeber and why

A

MILES (1977)
Researched a blind man from birth and showed that even with social cues the man had a 24.9 hour circadian rhythm, so his sleep was out of synch with the rest of society

93
Q

What’s the evolutionary explanation for the sleep wake cycle

A

We’re specialised for daytime activity not night time activity; we have a sleep period at night to protect us from accidental harm and predators

94
Q

What’s are two negatives of research into circadian rhythms

A
  1. Individual differences
  2. Small sample sizes
95
Q

What are the 3 main research’s into circadian rhythms and what do they show

A
  1. Siffre (1975)- free running circadian rhythm
  2. Vetter (2011)- evidence lights an EZ
  3. Ralph (1990)- evidence the SCN is the EP
96
Q

What’s an criticism of Siffre (1975) and other artificial light isolation ecperiments

A

Psychologists have criticised the use of artificial lights in isolation experiments on the sleep wake cycle suggesting the artificial lights disrupted measurements of the free running circadian rhythm by acting as an exogenous zeitgeber

97
Q

What study can be used to criticise Siffre (1975)

A

Czeisler (1999)

98
Q

What did Czeisler (1999) find

A

In a study controlling artificial light, Czeisler (1999) found the circadian rhythm is closer to 24 hours with a little drift

99
Q

What two things did Vetter (2011) find

A

Strongly suggested:
1. Lights an exogenous zeitgeber
2. Artificial lights can disrupt the endogenous pacemaker by overriding natural light as the primary exogenous zeitgeber

100
Q

How many patricipants were in each group in Vetter (2011)

A

27

101
Q

What did Vetter (2011) observe

A

When 27 office workers in the experimental group were exposed to strong blue light, they would shift their circadian rhythms to match the office lighting. A group of 27 normal office workers with normal office lighting matched the shifting time of the natural light of dawn

102
Q

What did Ralph (1990) find

A

Strongly suggested the SCN is the main endogenous pacemaker in the sleep wake cycle

103
Q

What was the method of Ralph (1990)

A

Golden hamsters with the Tau mutation have a circadian rhythm of 20 hours as opposed to the normal 24 hour rhythm. He transplanted the SCN from normal hamsters into the Tau mutant hamsters and vice versa

104
Q

What did Ralph (1990) observe

A

The Tau mutant hamsters developed a 24 hour cycle and the normal hamsters developed a 20 hour cycle

105
Q

What are two criticisms of Ralph (1990)

A
  1. Ethical issues
  2. Extrapolation
106
Q

What piece of research provides evidence lights an exogenous zeitgeber

A

Vetter (2011)

107
Q

What piece of research provides evidence the suprachiasmatic nucleus is the endogenous pacemaker

A

Ralph (1990)

108
Q

What research can be used to support Siffre (1975)

A

Aschoff and Weber

109
Q

What are the 10 pieces of research into circadian rhythms and exogenous zeitgebers
(FCB and the SS CARVS)

A

FCB and the SS CARVS
Siffre (1975)
Vetter (2011)
Ralph (1990)
Czeisler (1999)
Aschoff and Weber
Folkard et al (1985)
Campbell and Murphy (1998)
Shih-yu et al (2013)
Steel et al (2008)
Benedetti et al (2007)

110
Q

What did Aschoff and Weber suggest (3)

A
  1. Our natural sleep wake cycle may be longer than 24 hours
  2. We use natural light sources to entrain our pacemakers with the environment
  3. The 24 hour clocks not in line with our bodily rhythms
111
Q

What was the method of Aschoff and Weber

A

Studied patricipants living in a bunker that only had electric light and no windows, so that the light source fitted with their body clocks, which settled into a sleep wake cycle of 25-27 hours

112
Q

What did Folkard et al (1985) suggest

A

• Our natural circadian rhythm’s flexible and can differ between individuals (individual differences)

113
Q

What was the method of Folkard et al (1985)

A

•Withdrew 12 patricipants from natural light for 3 weeks and changed the time cues to only 22 hours a day without patricipants being aware
• Retiring to bed at 11:45 and waking at 7:45, the researchers gradually sped up the clock to make their sleep wake cycle 22 hours

114
Q

How many patricipants were involved in Folkard et al (1985)

A

12

115
Q

How long were patricipants without light in Folkard et al (1985)

A

3 weeks

116
Q

What did Folkard et al (1985) find

A

Only 1 of 12 patricipants couldn’t adjust to the shortened day

117
Q

What are 4 studies related to exogenous zeitgebers

A
  1. Campbell and Murphy (1998)
  2. Shih-Yu et al (2013)
  3. Steel et al (2008)
  4. Benedetti et al (2007)
118
Q

What was the method of Campbell and Murphy (1998)

A

Monitored body temperature of 15 volunteers who slept in a lab, they woke them at different times and a light pad was shon onto the back of their knees

119
Q

What was the sample size of Campbell and Murphy (1998)

A

15 volunteers

120
Q

What are two issues with the sample of Campbell and Murphy (1998)

A
  1. Small sample size
  2. All volunteers; volunteer bias
121
Q

What did Campbell and Murphy (1998) observe

A

Circadian rhythms were disrupted by up to 3 hours

122
Q

What’s a methodological issue with Campbell and Murphy (1998)

A

Patricipants being woke. In the night is an additional variable that could’ve impacted their sleep

123
Q

How many hours were patricipants sleep cycles disrupted by in Campbell and Murphy (1998)

A

3 hours

124
Q

What does Campbell and Murphy (1998) suggest

A

It’s not necessary for light to enter the eyes to have a physiological effect on biological rhythms

125
Q

What study suggests it’s not necessary for light to enter the eyes to be an exogenous zeitgeber

A

Campbell and Murphy (1998)

126
Q

What study provides a practical application of research into exogenous zeitgebers

A

Shih-yu et al (2013)

127
Q

What study shows the effect exogenous zeitgebers have on sleep quality

A

Shih-Yu et al (2013)

128
Q

What was the method of Shih-Yu et al (2013)

A

15 women were given bright light therapy over 3 weeks

129
Q

How long was the Shih-Yu et al (2013) study

A

3 weeks

130
Q

What was the sample size of Shih-Yu et al (2013)

A

15

131
Q

What was the context of Shih-Yu et al (2013)

A

New mothers who’s babies were in intensive care found their sleep was disrupted as they were in an environment with low lighting

132
Q

What did patricipants report after the Shih-Yu et al (2013) study

A

They reported an improvement in sleep in comparison to the control group

133
Q

What did Shih-Yu et al (2013) conclude

A

• Exogenous zeitgebers have an effect on sleep quality

134
Q

What’s a positive of using the Shih-Yu et al (2013) study

A

It provides a practical application for research into exogenous zeitgebers

135
Q

What was the method of Steel et al(2008)

A

Monitored 6 patricipants living in isolation in the arctic for 6 weeks. There was constant daylight throughout that time. The patricipants kept sleep logs.

136
Q

What did Steel et al (2008) investigate

A

The effects of constant daylight on circadian rhythms

137
Q

What was the sample size of Steel et al (2008)

A

6

138
Q

How long was the Steel et al (2008) study

A

6 weeks

139
Q

What did Steel et al (2008) observe

A
  1. 5/6 patricipants developed free running sleep/wake cycles longer than 24hours
  2. Sleep patterns were individual and there were no synchronised patterns
140
Q

What did Steel et al (2008) conclude

A
  1. Social cues don’t have a strong effect in the absence of other zeitgebers
  2. Individual differences are prevalent in sleep wake cycles
141
Q

What are the problems with research into exogenous zeitgebers

A
  1. Criticised for external validity; often carried out in external settings [eg. Campbell and Murphy (1998) in a lab]
  2. Monitoring sleep patterns can have an effect on the sleep patterns and this can be the reason for the results
  3. Using animals in research [eg. Ralph (1990)] raises extrapolation concerns
142
Q

How many patricipants were involved in McClintock (1971)

A

135

143
Q

What did McClintock (1971) find

A

Women synchronised their cycles with their friendship groups

144
Q

What study recorded similar findings to McClintock (1971)

A

Russell et al (1980)

145
Q

What did Stern and McClintock (1998) aim to find out

A

Investigated if synchronisation of menstrual cycles was due to pheromones

146
Q

What was the method of Stern and McClintock (1998)

A

20 women were given pads to wipe on their top lip each day for at least 8 hours (to ensure the pheromones were picked up) taken from the armpits of 9 women at varying stages of the menstrual cycle

147
Q

How many patricipants and donors were involved in Stern and McClintock (1998)

A

20 patricipants
9 donors

148
Q

What percentage of women experienced changes in their cycle to match their donor in Stern and McClintock (1998)

A

68%

149
Q

What did Stern and McClintock (1998) suggest

A

Synchronisation is potentially due to pheromones as an exogenous zeitgeber

150
Q

What are two issues with Stern and McClintock (1998)

A
  1. Pheromones as chemical messengers are not accepted widely as a process that happens in humans
  2. Many potential confounding variables eg. Diet, stress, exercise, menstrual cycle length can vary which isn’t taken into account in any of the supporting studies
151
Q

What are two problems with McClintock (1971)

A
  1. Despite positive replications such as Russell et al (1980), a number of studies have shown the opposite such as Trevathan (1993)
  2. Many potential confounding variables eg. Diet, stress, exercise, menstrual cycle length can vary which isn’t taken into account in any of the supporting studies
152
Q

What study opposes McClintock (1971)

A

Trevathan (1993)

153
Q

What did Trevathan (1993) find

A

Cohabiting lesbian couples didn’t synchronise their menstrual cycles in the optimum conditions to do so

154
Q

What’s the evolutionary theory of synchronised menstrual cycles

A

It’s an adaptive strategy that can be explained by natural selection, if women menstruate together, they’re more likely to become pregnant together, that way of one baby loses its mother it will still have access to breast milk from the other mother improving survival change

155
Q

What’s a strength of menstrual synchrony research

A

The evolutionary theory

156
Q

Who argued against the evolutionary theory of menstrual synchrony

A

J.C Schank

157
Q

What did J.C Schank argue against the evolutionary explanation for menstrual synchrony

A

Too many females cycling together within a social group would lead to competition for the highest quality males (and therefore lowering the fitness for any potential offspring). From this point of view, the avoidance of synchrony would appear to be most adaptive

158
Q

What did Reinverg (1967) suggest

A

Exogenous zeitgebers such as light can influence the menstrual cycle

159
Q

What was the method and findings of Reinberg (1967)

A

A woman spent 3 months in a cane with only a lamp for light, her days lengthened to 24.9 hours and her menstrual cycle shortened to 25.7 days

160
Q

How long did a woman spend in the cave in Reinberg (1967)

A

3 months

161
Q

What did the woman’s day length become after 3 months in a cave in Reinberg (1967)

A

24.9 hours

162
Q

What did the woman’s menstrual cycle become after 3 months in a cave in Reinberg (1967)

A

25.7 days

163
Q

Name 3 infradian rhythms

A
  1. Menstrual cycle
  2. Hibernation
  3. Season affective disorder (SAD)
164
Q

What did Halberg et al (2002) report

A

Reported 7- day blood pressure and heart rate rhythms in humans

165
Q

What’s the problem with Halberg et al (2002)

A

The evidence for weekly infradian rhythms in humans remains sketchy at best

166
Q

What the difference between human and animal annual rhythms

A

Animals rhythms are mostly related to seasons and in response to lower temperatures while humans the calendar year influences behaviour regardless of temperature

167
Q

What research suggest women experience more season variation in mood

A

Magnusson (2000)

168
Q

What study shows human deaths peak in January

A

Trudeau (1997)

169
Q

What two things are more common in winter

A
  1. Death
  2. Heart attacks
170
Q

Advantages of research into ultradian rhythms (the sleep cycle) (2)

A
  1. Technologies and devices have been developed to track and record sleep. These help individuals improve sleep. EG. Avoiding waking up during the wrong stage stops people feeling groggy and disorientated, leading to a happier, healthier more economically productive population
  2. Development of more sophisticated EEGs and other techniques improves understanding (EG. In 2007 research led to combining stages 3&4 into the new N3 stage
171
Q

Disadvantages of research into ultradian rhythms (the sleep cycle) (2)

A
  1. Overall pattern of sleep stages is consistent but there are individual differences such as newborns spending 80% of time in REM sleep as opposed to 20-25% for adults. Suggesting stages of sleep are not a simple process but adapt to individual needs
  2. Circadian and Ultradian rhythms seem to be connected and perhaps shouldn’t be seen as separate processes. Czeisler (1980) showed the longest period of REM sleep coincides with the lowest point in the circadian body temperature cycle. Could suggest both processes use the same body clock (SCN)
172
Q

What did Czeisler (1980) show

A

the longest period of REM sleep coincides with the lowest point in the circadian body temperature cycle

173
Q

What’s the main study when referencing ultradian rhythms

A

Dement and Kleitman (1957)

174
Q

What was the method first study of Dement and Kleitman (1957)

A

EEG recordings made of 33 participants over a nights sleep.

175
Q

What did the first study of Dement and Kleitman (1957) find

A

Brain waves follow a cyclic pattern of activation, bodily relaxation during SWS sleep and rapid eye movement during periods of high activation

176
Q

What was the method of the second study of Dement and Kleitman (1957)

A

9 participants were woken by a doorbell at various stages in their sleep cycle and asked about whether they were dreaming

177
Q

What was the gender split of participants in the second study of Dement and Kleitman (1957)

A

7 men
2 women

178
Q

What did the second study of Dement and Kleitman (1957) find

A

Patricipants reported dreaming more frequently when woken from REM

179
Q

What are three problems with Dement and Kleitman (1957)

A
  1. Lab study- lacks ecological validity
  2. Small sample size- can’t generalise to the population especially due to individual differences in sleep
  3. Demonstrated people RECALL dreams more in REM sleep, not necessarily that that’s only when dreams happen
180
Q

What study can be used to demonstrate individual differences im sleep cycles

A

Tucker et al (2007)

181
Q

What did Tucker et al (2007) find

A

Significant differences between patricipants in terms of duration of each sleep stage, suggesting there could be innate individual differences in ultradian rhythms

182
Q

What study can be referenced in terms of sleep quality decreasing with age

A

Eve Van Cauter (2000)

183
Q

What did Eve Van Cauter (2000) find (2)

A
  1. Deep SWS sleep decreased from 18.9% during early adulthood (16-25years) to 3.4% during midlife, replaced by lighter sleep.
  2. An association between less REM sleep and higher evening cortisol levels (which tends to increase with age)
184
Q

What did the percentage of SWS sleep fall by from early adulthood to midlife according to Eve Van Cauter (2000)

A

18.9% to 3.4%

185
Q

What study identified potential 90min daytime ultradian rhythms

A

Kleitman (1969)

186
Q

What did Kleitman (1969) refer to the 90min sleep cycle as

A

BRAC - basic rest activity cycle

187
Q

What did Kleitman (1969) suggest

A

90 minute cycles continue into the day moving from a state of alertness to physiological fatigue approximately every 90 minutes

188
Q

What study can be referenced for the fact SWS sleep is for physical recovery

A

Shapiro (1981)

189
Q

What study can be referenced for the fact REM sleep is for mental recovery

A

Haider (1970)

190
Q

What did Shapiro (1981) find (2)

A
  1. Ultramarathon runners showed longer sleep after intense physical activity.
  2. An increased proportion of their sleep was SWS sleep, suggesting SWS (N3) is for physical recovery of the body
191
Q

What did Haider (1970) find

A

EEG of 10 patients recovering from a drug overdose showed increased REM sleep suggesting REMS for mental recovery

A-Level Psychology (14 decks)

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