AP Psychology Reading Assignment: ​Module 23 – Sleep Patterns

and Sleep Theories

Directions - Complete the following assignment on a separate sheet of paper.

Part 1​: Define the following terms.

1. Circadian Rhythm

Hallucinations -
A natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats on each rotation of the Earth roughly every 24
hours. It can refer to any biological process that displays an endogenous, entrainable oscillation of about 24 hours.
REM sleep -
Sensations that appear to be real but are created within the mind.
Delta Waves -
A type of high amplitude brain wave found in humans. Delta waves have a frequency from one to four hertz and are
measured using an electroencephalogram
Alpha Waves -
The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
NREM sleep -
Non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep
Sleep -
Periodic, natural loss of consciousness--as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or
hibernation.
Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) -
A pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm. In response to light, the SCN causes the pineal gland to
adjust melatonin production, thus modifying our feelings of sleepiness.

Part 2​: Answer the following questions.

1. Explain how age and experience alter our circadian rhythms.

a. Age and experience can alter our circadian rhythm. Teens and young adults tend to be owls That
enjoy the night with energy and their performance improves across the day however Adults and
joy the mornings and are known as larks. At the age of about 20 would begin to shift from Elsa
likes. Women however become more and more learning oriented when they have children and
they transition to menopause. Morning types tend to do better in school and take more initiative
as well as be less vulnerable to depression.
2. Interpret the data from Figure 23.4 to describe three differences between the sleep of young adults and
that of older adults.
i. Adults wake up a lot more frequently than young adults.
ii. The adult amount of sleep is shorter than adults .
iii. Adults tend to reach the deepest levels of sleep less times than young adults​.
3. Discuss the differences in sleep patterns and the need for sleep among humans.
a. Newborns often sleep two-thirds of their day
b. most adult leave no more than ⅓
c. Different people need different amounts of hours of sleep, some drive at six hours per night
others regularly rack up to nine hours or more.
4. Explain how biology and experience interact in our sleep patterns.
a. Heavens are genetically influenced when it comes to the amount of hours that we thrive.
 i. Studies show that in fraternal and identical twins identical twins tend to have the most
similar sleep schedules.
ii. genes that regulate sleep in humans and animals are researched by scientists today and
are currently being discovered since 2009.
b. Sleep patterns are culturally influenced as well as genetically.
i. in the United States and in Canada most adults average up to about seven or eight hours
of sleep per night
5. Explain the process by which the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and melatonin work to regulate the
sleep and wake cycles.
a. The scn does its job in part by causing the brain's pineal gland to decrease its production of the
sleep-inducing hormone also known as my lieutenant in the morning and increase in the evening
therefore by cousin go to be more probability and cause to sleep at night rather than in the
morning.
6. How does artificial light from electronics and interior lighting distort the SCN-melatonin process you
described above.
a. when bathed in light it just drops the 24-hour biological clock. the 24-hour biological clock has
been passed down and accustomed to the 24 hour day and timing of the rising and setting of the
Sun from our ancestors. Young adults today have adopted a 25 hour day clock by staying up too
late and not getting 8 hours of sleep. This can be traced back to the invention of Thomas Edison
the light bulb
7. Sleep as protection from predators is most likely a view taken by which major approach to psychology?
Explain.
a. Ecological niche which states that those who for Less like me to go out at night to investigate or
navigate among rocks and cliffs and other dangers were more likely to leave descendants. AKA
evolutionary by the way in which animals evolved
8. Sleep as recuperation, repair, and a supporter of growth is a view taken by which major approach to
psychology? Explain.
a. An approach of biologists because it has to do with neurons repairing themselves game sleep as
it helps restore and repair brain tissue.
9. Sleep as a memory-builder and nourishment for creative thinking a view taken by which major approach
to Psychology? Explain.
a. This approach is toward cognitive psychology because sleep strengthens memory colonization in
a way that being awake does not and it also stabilizes in your memory traces there we call better
after a night's sleep rather than several hours a week.
10. Explain how a regular night’s sleep can also dramatically improve your athletic ability.
a. sleep improves athletic performance by allowing athletes to have faster reaction times, more
energy, and greater endurance. It has been proven that teams that build up to eight or 10 hours of
sleep daily into their training show have improved their performance.