S - Disruption of Biological Rhythms Flashcards
Why does jet lag occur?
Occurs because our natural rhythm is not synchronized with the exogenous zeitgebers
Why is it better to travel East to West?
Easier to lengthen our natural rhythm (phase delay) than shorten it (phase advance)
What are the effects of jet lag?
Tiredness, irritability, anxiety
What effects jet lags severity?
Direction of travel, number of time zones, individual differences (phase tolerance)
What did Cho find?
Found that cabin crew had problems with working memory which became apparent after years of disruption of circadian rhythms - shows disruption can cause other problems
What is a weakness of Cho’s study?
Not conducted in a lab so other potential factors cannot be ruled out
What did Cho find?
Found that those wit short jet lag recovery (5 days) between flights had smaller temporal lobes and lower scores on visio spacial tasks than those with a longer recovery time (12 days)
How can Cho’s findings be practically applied?
To help ensure individuals have a longer recovery time so that their body can resynchornise which may lessen the effects of jet lag
What did Rafnsson find?
Studied 1500 flight attendants and found that those who had been flying for over 5 years had double the risk of breast cancer
What is a weakness of Rafnsson’s study?
There could be other explanations of breast cancer in flight attendants - flight dehydration and great exposure to cosmic radiation and magnetic fields which may also be the cause
What did Recht find?
Found that over 3 years, an American baseball team won 37% of games when travelling West to East, but when they travelled East to West, they won 44%
What is a weakness of Recht’s study?
Case study of one American baseball team - cannot be applied to all cultures/sports as they may react differently and it may not help their performance
