Infradian & Ultradian Rhythms

Question 1

what is infradian rhythm

Answer 1

a type of biological rhythm with a frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours

Question 2

what are two example of infradian rhythms

Answer 2

menstruation and seasonal affective disorder

Question 3

What is the menstruation cycle?

Answer 3

Monthly changes in hormone levels which regulate ovulation

Question 4

How long is the menstrual cycle not in terms of days?

Answer 4

Between the first day of a woman’s period, when the womb lining is shed to the day before her period

Question 5

How many days does a mental cycle usually last?

Answer 5

28 days, however it can be between 24 and 35

Question 6

What happens first in the beginning of each cycle?

Answer 6

The levels of oestrogen increase, which cause the ovary to develop an egg and release it, which is known as ovulation

Question 7

What is ovulation

Answer 7

When an egg is released

Question 8

What happened after ovulation?

Answer 8

The hormone progesterone is released, which helps the lining of the womb to grow thicker, which enables to be prepared for pregnancy

Question 9

What happens if pregnancy is not occurred

Answer 9

The egg is absorbed into the body, and the womb lining comes away and Leaves the body, which is known as menstrual flow, AKA period

Question 10

What type of system is the menstrual cycle?

Answer 10

Endogenous

Question 11

Despite the menstrual cycle, being an Endo genius system, how does evidence suggest otherwise

Answer 11

It suggests that exogenous factors influence a cycle

Question 12

What type of exogenous factor is shown to influence menstrual cycles

Answer 12

Other woman’s cycles

Question 13

Who did the study about period synchronisation

Answer 13

Stern and McClintock

Question 14

How did Stern and McClintock study period synchronisation

Answer 14

Sample of pheromones were gathered from nine women at different stages of the cycle by pads which were worn for at least eight hours to ensure the pheromones were picked up. These padswere treated with alcohol and then frozen to be rubbed on the upper lip of all the participants and then on each day, they were given the pad correspondent for the day they were on.

Question 15

What did Stan and McClintock believe influence menstrual cycle synchronisation

Answer 15

Pheromones

Question 16

What was the result of stern and McClintock study?

Answer 16

They found that 60% of women experience changes to the cycle which brought them closer to the cycle of the outdoor donor

Question 17

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Answer 17

It is a depressive disorder which has a seasonal pattern of onset and offset and is described and diagnosed as a mental disorder in the DSM five

Question 18

What are the main symptoms of seasonal affective disorder?

Answer 18

They are similar to other forms of depression with low mood, alongside general lack of activity and interesting life

Question 19

What is SAD often referred to and why?

Answer 19

Often referred to as the winter blues as the symptoms are triggered during the winter months when number of daylight hours become shorter

Question 20

What type of infradian rhythm is SAD?

Answer 20

Circannual rhythm

Question 21

What is a circannual rhythm

Answer 21

A rhythm which is subject to a yearly cycle

Question 22

What are the type of rhythm is seasonal affective disorder classed as and why

Answer 22

Circadian rhythm because the experience of SAD may be due to the disruption of the sleep wake cycle which can be attributed to prolonged periods of daily darkness during winter

Question 23

What is the implicated cause of SAD psychologist have hypothesised

Answer 23

The hormone melatonin

Question 24

How do the production of the hormone melatonin?

Answer 24

In the night, the pineal gland secretes melatonin until dawn, when there is an increase in light, however, during winter, the lack of light in the morning means that the secretion of melatonin continues on for longer, which has a knock-on affect on the production of serotonin in the brain which is linked to onset depressive symptoms

Question 25

What are ultradian rhythm

Answer 25

A type of biological rhythm with a frequency of more than one cycle in 24 hours such as the stages of sleep

Question 26

How many stages of sleep have psychologists identified

Answer 26

5

Question 27

How do these sleep stages differ from each other

Answer 27

Different level of brainwave activity

Question 28

How are brainwave activity measured

Answer 28

EEG

Question 29

What is stage 1 of the sleep cycle and what type of brainwaves is it?

Answer 29

Light stereo with alpha waves

Question 30

In stage 1 how is frequency and amplitude described

Answer 30

High frequency and short amplitude

Question 31

How does stage one and stage to differ?

Answer 31

In stage to the alpha waves continue, but there are occasional random changes in pattern. Wish I could sleep spindles.

Question 32

What are sleep spindles, which is found in stage two of a sleep cycle

Answer 32

Occasional random changes in pattern

Question 33

What is stage three and four in a sleep cycle? And describe brainwaves its associated with

Answer 33

Deep sleep or slow wave sleep which has delta waves

Question 34

What type of frequency and amplitude do delta waves have?

Answer 34

Delta waves have lower frequency and higher amplitude

Question 35

What is stage five known as in the sleep cycle?

Answer 35

REM sleep

Question 36

What happens to the body during rem sleep?

Answer 36

The body is paralysed, the brain activity, closely resembles that of an awake brain

Question 37

What type of brain waves are produced during rem sleep?

Answer 37

Theta waves