PSYC 2800 Chapter 13: chapter 13 summary.doc
15 Apr 2012
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Biorythm: inherent timing mechanism that controls or initiates various biological processes. Linked to the cycle of days and seasons produced by the earth"s rotation around the sun. Animals living near the poles of the earth are more affected by seasonal changes than animals living in equatorial regions. Human behavior is governed more by daily cycles than by seasonal cycles. Behavior is not simply driven by external cues from the environment- Biological clock : neural system that times behavior. Allows animals to anticipate events before they happen. Period: time required to complete a cycle of activity. Circannual rhythm: yearly (e. g. , migratory cycles of birds) Infranual rhythm: less than a year (e. g. , human menstrual cycle) Ultranium rhythm: less than a day (e. g. , eating cycle) Rhythm of the body"s own devising in the absence of all external cues. Without input from external cues, our bodies have their own rhythms with periods of 25 to. Sleep-wake cycle shifts an hour or so everyday.
