Unit 4 A2 psychology

Circadian rhythm - 24 hrs e.g. Core body temperature and sleep - wake cycle.

Ultradian rhythm- less than a day - cycles of sleep

Infradian rhythm- more than a day but less than a year e.g. menstrual cycle

Research Studies on Circadian rhythm

• Michel Siffre- French cave explorer. Spent 6 weeks in a cave and found that his natural circadian rhythm was 24 hrshoweveronsomeoccasionsthis varied to 48 hrs.
• Aschoff and Wever-Participants in a world war 2 underground bunker and found that they displayed normal circadian rhythm of 24 hrs
• Folkard- 12 groups of ppts placed in a temporalisolationunit