exogenous Zeitgebers and sleep wake cycle

Question 1

light as a zeitgeber

Answer 1

light has an indirect influence on key processes in the body that control ssh functions as hormone secretion and blood circulation

Question 2

Campbell and Murphy

Answer 2

demonstrated that light may be detected by skin receptor sites on the body even when the same information is not received by the eyes.
15 ppts were woken at various times and a light pad was shone on the back of their knees
the researchers managed to produce a deviation in the ppts sleep/week cycle of up to 3 hours in some cases

Question 3

social cues

Answer 3

research on jet lag suggests that adapting to local times for eating and sleeping (rather than responding to ones own feelings of hunger and fatigue) is an effective way of entraining circadian rhythms

Question 4

• environmental differences

Answer 4

exogenous Zeitgebers do not have the sam effect in all environments
-the experience of people who live in the arctic circle have similar sleep patterns all year round, despite spending almost 6 months in total darkness
-suggestst that the sleep - wake cycle is primarily controlled by endogenous pacemakers that can override environmental changes