Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Psychology Factsheets
www.curriculum-press.co.uk Number 144
Examiner comment: Candidates must be able to demonstrate their understanding of evolutionary theory by applying it to sleep.
Exam answers that do not relate to sleep in particular will not be credit worthy.
A. Introduction
Evolutionary psychology is based on two main assumptions about human behaviour:
1. Behaviours have survived because they infer an advantage in terms of survival
2. Behaviours have survived because they infer an advantage in terms of reproductive success.
Evolutionary psychology therefore assumes that sleep is an adaptive trait in humans that aids survival and reproductive success. You
should note that while the different evolutionary explanations of sleep have been separated here, there is considerable overlap between
them. A good way of ensuring higher grades is to ‘pull theories apart’ as demonstrated in this factsheet.
D. Predation hypothesis
Periods of sleep also aid survival by keeping individuals safe from predators. Evidence for the predation
hypothesis comes from non-human animals. For example, most infant mammals sleep for long periods of time
and wake for regular feeding. Many are fed during waking and protected during sleep by their parents.
However, newborn killer whales and dolphins do not sleep for the first month of life in order to hunt for food
and they must therefore be vigilant. This hypothesis suggests that predators would require relatively
shorter amounts of sleep than prey, which is mostly supported by evidence.
‘The lion and the lamb shall lie down together but the lamb will not be very sleepy!’
Examiner comment: Candidates who link evidence from studies of non-human animals directly to evolutionary explanations of
sleep and demonstrate a sound analysis, understanding and interpretation will achieve the most effective answers in the higher
band bracket.
1
PMT
E. Hibernation theory
This theory considers both the energy conservation and predation theories of sleep. It compares sleep to a period of hibernation when
animals sleep because food is scarce. In the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA), it would have been unsafe and unproductive
to forage for food during darkness. Sleeping therefore made sense because it conserved energy and ensured safety and survival.
F. Critical evaluation
Examiner comment: When evaluating evolutionary explanations of sleep, candidates could use a broad approach of generic
criticisms of evolutionary theory, and/or specific criticisms of particular evolutionary hypotheses. Both are credit worthy so long as
they are applied to explanations of sleep.
Glossary
Energy conservation: Sleep is a period of inactivity which expends less energy and therefore conserves energy supplies
Environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA): A historical time and place to which all species are adapted.
Genome lag: Hypothesis that the evolution of human genes lags behind the evolution of our environment.
Hibernation theory: Compares sleep to a period of hibernation which conserves energy and avoids predation.
Ultimate explanation: Theory that psychological adaptations are specialised for the environment in which an organism evolved (the
EEA).
Acknowledgements: This Psychology Factsheet was researched and written by Jeanine Connor.
The Curriculum Press, Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, Shropshire, TF1 1NU.
Psychology Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these
Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the
publisher. ISSN 1351-5136
2
PMT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Outline the restoration theory of sleep with reference to research evidence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. What is meant by the term ‘genome lag’ and how does it relate to evolutionary explanations of sleep?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------