Circadian rhythms.

• What do Siffre’s studies involve?

  Spending several extended periods underground studying the effects on bio rhythms.
• What were the results of Siffre’s 2 month study?

  Resurfaces thinking it’s August.

  Bio rhythms just beyond 24hrs.
• Name the 3 types of bio rhythms:

  Circannual - Infradian - Ultradian
• What is the longest of the 3 rhythms?

  Circannual
• What do biological rhythms influence?

  Bodies system to behave.
• Biological rhythms are governed by:

  Endogenous pacemakers & Exogenous zeitgebers.
• What is an endogenous pacemaker?

  Bodies internal bio clock.
• What is an exogenous zeitgeber?

  External cue that synchronizes an organism's biological rhythms with the environment.
• Daylight is an example of an exogenous zeitgeber:

  Daylight.
• Name an example of an endogenous pacemaker:

  Suprachiasmatic nucleus.
• What does the optic chiasm do?

  Provides info about light to the eye, resetting the SCN.
• Where is the SCN?

  Above optic chiasm.
• What did the Aschoff & Wever study involve?

  Ppts spending 4 weeks in WW2 bunker.
• What was the outcome of the Aschoff & Wever study?

  All bar one display typical rhythms.
• What do the Siffre, Aschoff & Wever studies suggest?

  Natural sleep/wake cycle is 24hrs+ but is entrained by exogenous zeitgebers.
• Who ran the study involving 12 ppts living in a cave for 3 weeks going to sleep when the clock told them to do so?

  Simon Folkard et al 1985
• What was the outcome for Folkard’s study?

  Only 1 ppt comfortably adjusts showing zeitgebers not easily overridden.
• What real-world use does understanding circadian rhythms have?

  Shift workers - productivity - health.
• What item of evidence contradicts shift workers?

  Solomon - high divorce rates - external factors.
• What is the field of looking into how medical treatments can be administered in correspondence to bio rhythms?

  Chronotherapeutics
• What is the biggest flaw with all research in circadian rhythms?

  Small samples & Individual differences.
• How do circadian rhythms influence opinions on the school day?

  Think it should be shifted later to fit with typical teen chronotype.