Ultradian Rhythms Flashcards
1
Q
what are ultradian rhythms?
A
frequency of more than one cycle in 24 hours
2
Q
give an example of an ultadian rhythm
A
stages of sleep - sleep occurs in 90 minute periods (ie. more than one cycle in 24 hours)
3
Q
what are the five stages of sleep?
A
- stages 1 & 2: light sleep
- stages 3 & 4: difficult to arouse someone
- stage 5: REM (rapid eye movement)
4
Q
what happens during stage 1 & 2?
A
- brainwaves become slower and more rhytmic (alpha waves)
- they slow further as sleep becomes deeper (beta waves)
5
Q
what happens during stages 3 & 4?
A
deep sleep characterised by delta waves which are slower still
6
Q
what happens during stage 5?
A
- fast, jerky activity of eyes.
- body paralysed yet brain activity speeds up.
7
Q
outline Dement and Kleitman (1957) study of the stages of sleep?
A
they monitored the sleep patterns of 9 participants in a sleep lab
8
Q
what did D&K (1957) find out about REM?
A
- REM acvtivity during sleep correlated with dreaming
- brain activity varied according to how vivid dreams were
- participants woken during dreaming reported accurate recall of their dreams
9
Q
what does D&K (1957) study suggest and why is this a strength?
A
- REM sleep is a distinct ultradian rhythm and an important component of the ultradian sleep cycle
- it provides qualative evidence for the different stages of sleep
10
Q
how studied the stages of sleep and what date was their study?
A
dement and kleitman (1957)
