FURTHER INFORMATION OR COUNTER
POINT EVIDENCE OR EXAMPLE
Shift work has been found to lead to
Practical
desynchronization of circadian
application to
rhythms and can lead to adverse
shift work
cognitive and physiological effects.
By understanding circadian rhythms
Application:
and their impact on health, it can
Pharmacokinet
help determine the best time to
ics
administer drug treatments.
Support from
There is research which supports the
the ‘cave
existence of circadian rhythms.
study’
The Siffre study was only on one
Issues with
individual, and the Folkard, Wever
case study
and Aschoff studies were conducted
evidence
on only a handful of people.
In the cave studies the exposure to
Poor control in
artificial lights such as
studies
torches/phones was not controlled.
STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS
Michael Siffre spend two months in the caves of the
southern Alps deprived of light and sound, determining
that his circadian rhythm remained between 24-25
hours.
Consequently, it is impossible to generalise these results
to whole populations of people, as there may be some
individual differences in the research sample that makes
these participants respond the changes the sleep/wake
cycle in atypical ways. For example, Siffre noted that
when he went into the cave at 60yr his body responded
very differently, with his body clock following more of a
48hr cycle. And Czeisler has found evidence that cycles
can vary by as much as 13-65 hours.
It was assumed it was only natural light that has an
influence on our biological rhythms. However, research
by Czeisler found that dim artificial lighting could adjust
the circadian rhythm between 22-28 hours.
For example, the risk of heart attack is greatest in early
morning so drugs can be taken at night, but not released
until when they will be most effective at dusk.
Research has shown that night shift workers suffer a
concentration lapse at 6am, increasing the likelihood of
accidents, and shift workers are also three times more
likely to suffer from heart disease as a result from the
stress of adjusting to sleep/wake cycles.
ARGUMENT
This is a strength of the research on
circadian rhythms as it has many
practical and economic implications,
CA: Issues with case study evidence
in terms of maintaining worker
productivity and preventing
accidents in the workplace.
This suggests that the body’s internal
clock is set 24-25 hours in the
absence of external cues, and is
intolerant of any major alterations to
sleep and wake cycles, through FI: Poor control in studies
processes such as shift work and jet
lag. This is a strength as it shows that
the concept has research support,
and therefore may be valid.
Additionally, the impact of artificial lighting on
This is a weakness as it means that
our circadian rhythms also has practical
the results to the original studies may
implications when it comes to the use of
lack validity and the sleep wake cycle
electronic devices such as iPad and
may vary considerably more.
smartphones during different times of the day.
This is a strength as it gives the
research has useful practical
This means that there are peak times for
applications, such as the timing of
administration and dosage of a variety of drugs
drug dosing of a whole range of
that increase their efficacy.
medications including anti-cancer,
cardiovascular and anti-epileptic
drugs.
Further research support by Wever and
Aschoff had a group of participants live in a
WWII bunker for four weeks and found that
the sleep/wake cycle lasted just under 25hours
concluding that exogenous zeitgebers (light
This is a weakness as it suggests that
hours’/meal times) may have an impact
results lack external validity, as
mediating the cycle. However other research
factors such as age and gender may
by Folkard set participants sleep and wake
have significant impacts on our
times that initially fit with a 24-hour day, but
circadian rhythms.
then unknown to the participants sped up the
clock so the cycle only lasted 22 hours. This
had a significant impact on the participants
who were adversely affected by the change
from the set 24-25 hours