Disrupting sleep - shift work

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what is shift work?
it is work you do when normally you would be sleeping.
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What type of jobs commonly involve shift work?
the emergency services and food preparation
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how does it disrupt your sleep/wake cycle?
until you are adjusted your pacemakers (SCN and melatonin) and zeitgebers (darkeness) tell you that you should be sleeping when instead you are working.
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what health problems are associated with shift work?
increased risk of heart disease and breast cancer and mood changes.
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What is a relevant IDA point for this theory?
biologically determinist
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Why is the explanation biologically determinist?
it says that everyone will be influenced by the same factors (zeitgebers and pacemakers) and that everyone should respond similarly to shift work, this is not the case as people adapt differently.
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What is the alternaitve explanation? (IDA)
whether you are a lark or an owl.
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Why is this explanation equally biologically determinist? (IDA)
because it suggests we are pre-programmed to be early risers (lark) or stay up later (owl).
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What are the two pieces of evidence for this explanation?
Blakemore and Czeisler
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What did Blakemore find?
by researching the schedule of workers in a chemical plant (1=night,2=eve,3=day) they found that when subjecting lab animals to the same pattern of phase advance they had increased heart disease and a shorter life span.
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How does Blakemores study support the theory?
this pattern of shifts meant the workers body never had time to adapt, involved phase advance which is difficult for your bodies natural circadian rhythm. overall the workers would experience the common symptoms of jet lag.
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What did research by Czeisler find?
by rotating the shifts of the workers forward in time (day,eve,night) the workers reported feeling better and less tired.
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How does Czeislers research support the explanation?
this means the workers are going through phase delay as opposed to phase advance. naturally your circadian rhythm wants you to stay up later each night which is how the workers would have adapted.
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What is an issue with the pieces of research? (AO3)
they have low population validity as they only test the reactions of one group of people who work the same job. however as the approach is biological the result should apply to everyone (if the theory is correct).
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What is a good thing about the research? (AO3)
they have high ecological validity, they were set in a natural environment although this could have lead to extraneous variables.
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Overall what does the research support? (AO3)
the idea that phase advance is harder for your body to adapt to that phase delay.
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Why could the explanation be considered socially sensitive? (wider evaluation)
for some shift work is the only available work,people may feel reluctant to do shift work = loss of jobs such as nurses.
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What is a practical application? (Wider evaluation)
strict guidelines could be enforced that mean each shift must last at least one week with a dominant pattern of phase delay.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What type of jobs commonly involve shift work?

Back

the emergency services and food preparation

Card 3

Front

how does it disrupt your sleep/wake cycle?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

what health problems are associated with shift work?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is a relevant IDA point for this theory?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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