Effect of Sleep on Memory
This article is from The Journal of Experimental Psychology, and was written on an experiment performed by psychologist Bruce R. Ekstrand, from the University of Colorado. He experimented on the effects that sleep has on one's memory, after learning a particular bit of knowledge, in this case a certain list of twelve three-letter words.
There were several different ways Ekstrand went about discovering whether sleep would facilitate memory or not. Out of the entire group of people who he experimented on, some of them were given nothing but a simple list to memorize, some were given a pro-active interfering list, and some were given a retroactive interfering list. For his core measurement method, he used a 3x2 factorial chart. In this factorial were the three types of interference learning he used- retroactive, pro-active, and no interference. The factorial's two-part were the levels of sleep that those who were experimented on got -- either eight hours of sleep, or none.
The participants would have to learn these certain lists and associa...
It is generally understood that getting enough sleep plays an important factor as people go through their day to day lives, nevertheless many people do not rank sleep as one of their top priorities. In many cases, people prefer to use the time spent on getting the proper amount of sleep on other activities such as finishing a report for work or doing some last minute studying for a midterm. However, reducing the amount of sleep one gets not only affects one’s academic performance, but their physical health as well.
3)The REM Sleep-Memory Consolidation Hypothesis," article on Center for Sleep Research's homepage, Interesting site for sleep disorders
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2008). Reactivation and consolidation of memory during sleep. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 188-192. doi: 10.1111/j.14678721.2008.00572.x
...ep. There are events in sleep that are associated with synaptic modification, which is the basis of brain rewiring that enhances cognition. There is evidence that sleep accelerated transcription of cortical genes that are associated with protein synthesis9. These newly generated proteins are known to be required for strengthening of existing synapses and building new synapses. Studies have found increase of factors associated with brain-plasticity and enhanced learning during sleep5. These factors include phosphorylated or activated CREB, a transcriptional factor, as well as Arc, BDNF, and NGFI-A. These evidence help explain how sleep can influence brain rewiring through synaptic modification. This mechanism helps explain how sleep can modify the brain and ultimately enhance learning. This is a strong evidence that supports the synaptic downscaling hypothesis.
The effects of nutrition can begin before birth, with the nutrition of the mother. Under nutrition can result in negative effects of the development of the brain that can become permanent and irreversible. One example is the lack of iron, which is a necessary part of the brain’s tissue. When iron deficiency is present nerve impulses tend to move slower. “Iron deficiency…is associated with behavior changes and delayed psychomotor development” (Nutrition and Cognitive Development, 2001), as well as decrease attention span, irritability, fatigue, and difficultly with concentration. “ Anemia is one of the most prevalent nutritional disorders in the world, affecting nearly one quarter of all low-income children in the United States”(Rosenberg,1998). Iron deficiently anemia effects many young children in our country and has been linked to a child’s ability to learn by influencing attention span and memory. Besides iron, there can be iodine deficiently as well that can occur during the early years of a child. Reduced cognition and achievement in school can be associated with iodine deficiency. Researchers have also proven a decrease in protein intake with in diets can have an effect on achievement scores. Overall, under nutrition can results in a decrease of activity, social interaction, curiosity and cognitive functioning. This is proof of how the prenatal period of a child is the most important. “Recent evidence indicates that 15 percent of very low birth weight children and nearly 5 percent of low birth weight children require special education, compared to 4.3 percent of children born at normal birth weight”(Children’s Nutrition and Learning, 1994). Infants that are b...
June J. Pilcher published an article “How sleep Deprivation Affects Psychological Variables Related to College Students Cognitive Performance,” in the Journal of American College Health on November of 1997.
The extent and eminence of sleep has a profound impact on learning and memory. A sleep deprived person cannot focus attention optimally and cannot learn efficiently. “Sleep is a biological phenomenon that is modulated by the plasma concentration of melatonin and with influence on behavioral aspects and memory” ( Donadon 2016). All through life sleep plays a biological part in memory. Sleep has a role in the alliance of memory which is essential for learning new information. As some may know, many college students do not get adequate sleep but what effect does this have on their way of learning?
Sleep deprivation and false memory can have its mixed relationship. Participants in an experiment studied DRM list before they slept or were sleep deprived. After taking the test, one study showed higher rates of false memory in sleep deprivation compared to those who slept. But this study was not strong enough to support the claim between sleep deprivation and false memories. The same study was preformed but instead, the DRM list was presented the same night. But in the result came there was no differences. After reviewing both studies, it was noted that “sleep deprivation contributes to the formation of false memories is sparse and inconsistent” (Frenda, Patihis and
Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false (1). Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quite environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness" (2). Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections. The effects of sleep deprivation on behavior have been tested with relation to the presence of activity in different sections of the cerebral cortex.
Sleeping is something that is an essential part of human nature and is a must in order for one to be a functional human being. Sleep is an idea that is accompanied by many wives’ tales, including the ideas that one needs seven to eight hours of sleep each night and alcohol helps one fall asleep and sleep more soundly. One myth about sleep is that during sleeping, one is in a state of nothingness. In truth, however, it has been discovered that during sleep the brain is active, variations in heartbeat and breathing occur, and the eyes and ears are active throughout the time of sleep. These activities during a person’s sleep are important because they help that person be more aware, awake, and alert during consciousness. If all of these important activities occur during sleep, why is it that people are so willing to short themselves of this vital activity? Although much about sleep still remains a mystery, research and experiments continue to show how important sleep is to each and every person. Throughout this paper, I will discuss sleep and the effects that it has on performance and health, especially in college students. A college student’s sleeping pattern is a reliable indicator to their level of performance in the classroom and other school-affiliated activities, as a lack of sleep leads to decreased performance. Sleep is directly related the level of performance and health in an individual; the more rested a person is, the better that person will perform and feel (Dryer, 2006).
Kales, A. (1972). The evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders : Pharmacological and psychological studies. In M. Chase (ed.)The Sleeping Brain. Los Angeles : Brain Information Service.
Introduction Sleep studies have been conducted since as early as 1913. However, the impact of school start times on student academics is often overlooked by most schools. In reality, start times can significantly affect academic performance by disrupting adolescents' normal sleep cycle, leading to a lack of sleep that impairs learning, and hindering academic performance. These theories have been tested through sleep studies, and most of them have been found to be true. Sleep Cycle Changes When children transition from primary school to middle or high school, it can significantly affect their learning due to changes in their sleep cycle.
Sleep is a reversible, repetitive, and active behavior which plays different roles. These roles include restoration processes, memory consolidation, learning or growth. As argued out by Curcio, Ferrara and De Gennaro (2006), during sleep, neuro-cognitive, psychological, as well as behavioral processes take place. Many individuals sacrifice their sleep with an aim of carrying out extra activities. However, sleep loss has been found to have various negative effects. Some of these effects include impairment in psychomotor, neurocognitive performances, and sleepiness (Curcio et al., 2006). Results from recent studies have demonstrated that sleep plays an integral role in memory consideration and learning processes (Deregnaucourt et al., 2005 & Curcio et al., 2006). This paper will evaluate journals and other accredited sources of information in an effort to review, analyze, critique and synthesize works of other scholars on how sleep affects learning.
Sleep plays a vital role in a person’s mental well-being. Sleeping affects how well people think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. While a person is sleeping, his brain is preparing to help him learn and remember information. A good night’s sleep enhances learning and problem solving skills. It is very important for the students to have sound sleep as it can improve their concentration, memory and creativity. Furthermore, having enough sleep increases the ability to m...
Rasch, Björn, and Jan Born. "About Sleep 's Role in Memory." Physiological Reviews. American Physiological Society, n.d. Web. 06 May 2016.