studies Flashcards
(22 cards)
What did Michel Siffre do in his 1975 study on circadian rhythms?
Spent 6 months in a cave without exposure to natural light or time cues
What was the main finding of Siffre’s study regarding the sleep-wake cycle?
His sleep-wake cycle shifted to around 25 hours, indicating an internal circadian rhythm
What did Aschoff & Wever (1976) find about circadian rhythms in their study?
Most developed sleep-wake cycles of 24–25 hours, confirming that circadian rhythms are innate
What role does light play in circadian rhythms according to Hughes et al. (1977)?
Light plays a key role in controlling circadian rhythms in hormone release
What did Tucker et al. (2007) discover about ultradian rhythms?
Found large individual differences in the duration and structure of different sleep stages
What is the Basic Rest-Activity Cycle (BRAC) proposed by Kleitman?
A 90-minute sleep cycle that also applies to waking life, alternating between alertness and tiredness
What did Ericsson et al. (1993) find about elite violinists and their practice habits?
Most practiced in 90-minute sessions followed by breaks, aligning with the BRAC cycle
What did Stern & McClintock (1998) study regarding infradian rhythms?
Collected sweat from women to see if it affected the menstrual cycles of other women
What was the finding of Stern & McClintock’s study on menstrual synchrony?
68% of participants experienced changes in their menstrual cycles, becoming more synchronized
What argument did Schank (2004) make about menstrual synchrony?
Argued it may occur by random chance rather than being caused by pheromones
What did Campbell & Murphy (1998) discover about light and circadian rhythms?
Found that sleep-wake cycles could be shifted by light entering the skin
What did Siffre’s repeated cave study reveal about endogenous pacemakers?
His rhythm settled at about 25 hours, showing the existence of an internal biological pacemaker
What was the finding of Morgan (1995) regarding the SCN?
Normal hamsters adopted a 20-hour cycle after receiving SCNs from mutant hamsters
What genetic finding did Nestadt et al. (2000) reveal about OCD?
People with a first-degree relative who had OCD were 5 times more likely to develop the disorder
What did Soomro et al. (2008) find regarding SSRIs and OCD treatment?
SSRIs were significantly more effective at reducing symptoms compared to placebos
What side effects of SSRIs did Soomro et al. identify?
Nausea, headaches, and sleep issues, which reduced patient compliance
What did Pavlov’s 1903 study demonstrate regarding phobias?
Showed that a neutral stimulus can become associated with an automatic response through classical conditioning
What did Skinner (1938) find about behavior reinforcement?
Behavior can be strengthened or weakened by its consequences, explaining phobias’ maintenance
What did Watson & Rayner (1920) find in their Little Albert experiment?
Albert learned to fear not just the rat but similar objects, demonstrating phobia acquisition and generalization
What did DiNardo et al. (1988) find about dog bites and phobias?
Not all people bitten by dogs developed phobias, indicating other factors are involved
What is Seligman’s theory of biological preparedness?
Humans are genetically predisposed to fear things that were dangerous in our evolutionary past
What was the outcome of McGrath et al.’s (1990) study on Systematic Desensitization?
Around 75% of patients showed significant improvement, especially with real-life exposure
