Sleep stages Evaluation

Research evidence and evaluation Complete the research evidence task p15

Evaluation of research The research in this field uses highly controlled and objective EEG scans to determine what exactly is happening in the brain which arguably provides falsifiable and empirical evidence for sleep. This tool of measurement however can make the results ungeneralisable because the setting of the research was carried out in sleep labs which although highly controlled, it is low in ecological validity because it’s different to participant’s beds and they might feel uncomfortable or experience interrupted sleep, different to the results they might show at home.

Gender differences and sleep Research has found that more men (55%) report a better night’s sleep than women (37%) even when stressed (Kryger, 1994). Add to packs What does this suggest about the nature of sleep?

Sleep stages The Biological approach and nature (MWB) Write this IDA for the nature of sleep

Model IDA 1 The nature of sleep supports the biological approach and the nature side of the nature/nurture debate. This is because the stages are biologically determined by electrical activity in the brain. As this is a deterministic view of sleep it aids our understanding of the different stages of sleep which in turn can help us predict behaviour which may result from varying sleep patterns. It also aids our understanding of sleep disorders such as sleep walking which may lead to useful pharmaceutical treatments

Model IDA 2 The research for the nature of sleep supports the biological approach and the nature side of the nature vs nurture debate. This is because the stages are biologically determined by electrical activity in the brain This is however prone to culture bias because cultural norms change across the world whereby the environment can influence sleep patterns and habits; for example the duration and timing of sleep may not be universal as Shin (2003) found that sleep duration in Korea was only 6.5 hours. This shows the differences in sleep changes are not universal and therefore this limits our understanding into lifespan changes if we take only the nature side of the nature/nurture debate.

Lifespan changes

Group Task Lifespan changes and sleep Present to the group the outline and research for your group 1.Babies 2.Older Children 3.Adolescents 4.Adulthood 5.Adults 60 + Think of atleast 2 reasons you can give for why sleep is occuring this way at this stage

Research evidence Ground the research

Which study? You will be provided with a quote from a criticism or challenge to the study Write down the study it relates to and what evaluation point (e.g IDA)you could make as a result

A weak link “This research is suggesting that the grades achieved were a result of the hours of sleep. If this was the case surely every student that slept longer would get top grades.”

Questioning the support “ This does provide sound evidence for the decrease in REM sleep throughout lifespan. This evidence does however show that environmental factors are playing a part in the difference between children and adolescence.”

A Parents concerns “ This has important practical applications for schools and particularly 6 th form colleges. That said, I would be cautious in communicating this information to teenagers though. I already have enough problems getting my 17 year old daughter to study and go in to school”

Wider Evaluation How do you think we could apply this research to everyday life? Why do you think the research into lifespan changes is useful for Psychology?

Wider evaluation Tynjälä et al. (1993) surveyed 11–16-year-olds from 11 European countries; altogether over 40,000 children responded. Israeli children slept least (average of about 8.5 hours) and Swiss children slept most (average of about 9.5 hours). In Korea mean sleep time was recorded as about 6.5 hours for adolescents (Shin et al., 2003) and a recent study in Iran found a mean time of 7.7 hours (Ghanizadeh et al., 2008), both supporting the view that sleep duration is shorter in Asia than Europe.

IDA and Evaluation Biological Determinism or Reductionism Developmental Approach Correlation is not causation

Evaluating the Developmental Approach Accounts for individual differences as a product of age Helps inform understanding and treatment (e.g sleep disorders in specific age groups) Usefulness- applications (e.g changing school day, child rearing practice, health and social care)  Determinist  Biologically reductionist as simplistic so does not account for other individual differences  Culturally bias as low generalisability

Reductionism Much theory of lifespan changes in sleep is biologically reductionist. It is based on research that only identifies biological measures of sleep. Often researchers are merely recording stages and cycles of sleep that occur on the EEG machine during the experimental set-up, and only use select samples of participants as only certain ages volunteer. This means that researchers are ignoring all of the other environmental factors (e.g: co-sleep, stress, noisy environments) that may be driving the lifespan changes in sleep. Researchers should therefore use a multi-disciplinary approach to studying sleep to uncover the reasons behind the cyclical differences between people and across their lifespan.

Write a letter Use theory, research and evaluation 1.Write a letter to Chris Thomson arguing for Bhasvic’s timetable to be changed 2.Write a letter to AQA arguing for no A2 exams to take place in the morning

Essay This is a model essay Use as an example DO NOT ROTE LEARN OR COPY INTO PACKS