Ultrdian Rhythms Flashcards
Strength: practical applications
PA in understanding age related changes in sleep, growth hormone is produced during stage 4 (slow wave sleep), associated with sleep deficit in old age, found older people experience less stage 4 sleep, research led to development of medication and relaxation techniques to increase stage 4 sleep in older individuals, prevents some issues associated with old age eg reduced alertness, important part of applied psychology
Strength: scientific methods
objective and empirical techniques, EEG brain scans controlled lab setting to measure brain activity, scientifically measure brain activity throughout 5 stages to identify rhythm length and frequency throughout duration of sleep, whilst excluding extraneous variables (noise and temperature), increases overal IV and raises scientific status
Weakness: low ecological validity
Artificial setting so sleep experienced by PPTS in studies may not reflect genuine sleep patterns which are governed by exogenous zeitgebers, due to unfamiliar surroundings and being attached to electrodes, may alter the length of Ultradian rhythm, difficult to generalise findings to explain how Ultradian rhythms work in real life, reduce external validity
