contents - stage2psychatfaith.weebly.com · web viewmrs codrington also helped me to write the...

Stage 2 Psychology Group investigation

STAGE 2PSYCHOLOGYGROUP INVESTIGATION

SACE ID: ‘WHAT COMMONALITIES LIE AMONG FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SLEEP DURATION AND SLEEP PATTERNS?’

STAGE 2 PSYCHOLOGY: GROUP INVESTIGATION: ‘What commonalities lie among factors associated with sleep duration and sleep patterns?’

2

CONTENTS

Work log page 3-4

Proposal page 5

Introduction page 6

Results page 7

Discussion page 8-11

Conclusion page 12

Bibliography page 13

Appendices page 14-15


3

WORK LOGGroup members:

Work log 1: Friday 2nd of March

Today, my group helped each other to choose an investigation and develop our individual research questions. * and * helped me to decide to choose a qualitative research design as we decided I would be able to write my investigation to the best of my abilities. I then helped * and * to choose a research design to focus on for their investigations. I helped * to choose a qualitative research design as we decided it was best suited to her abilities. * and I also decided that a qualitative research design worked best for her as well. Mrs Codrington helped me create a research question based on the focus group question I chose. She was happy with my decision as the focus group question I had chosen had over one full page of data provided by the class. Mrs Codrington suggested I create a question that included ‘reoccurring factors of sleep’ and simply reword my chosen focus group question. * also helped me to create a research question as she suggested I also reword my focus group question. I assisted * with her research question as I helped her change the wording to allow it to be concise and flow. Her question is now, ‘what patterns are participants able to identify regarding their feelings of sleepiness impacting overall their feelings?’* helped me refine my research question and change the wording to allow it to be shorter and concise. Therefore, today I came up with my research question, “What common reoccurring factors affect levels of sleep and sleep patterns?”

Work log 2: Monday 5th of March

Today, * and I helped * to refine her research question and change the wording to allow it to be clear and concise. * and I helped * to clarify her research by giving her constructive feedback regarding the wording of her question. Her final question is now ‘what patterns are participants able to identify regarding their feelings of sleepiness throughout the study and how will this impact their overall feelings?’ * and I then helped * to combine her two chosen questions and develop one concise and appropriately worded question. Her question is now: ‘what factors contributing to the effect on sleep patterns were participants able to identify and what certain techniques create the optimum environment for falling asleep’. * helped me to reword my question to allow it to be further complex as it did not incorporate many scientific terms. My question is now currently, “what commonalities lie among factors associated with levels of sleep and sleep patterns?” Mrs Codrington also helped me to write the first sentences of my proposal as I was unsure of what it entailed. She also clarified what the research topic was about and why we are interested in researching sleep as it is necessary for the human body. * and Mrs Codrington helped me gain an understanding of what the term ‘level of sleep’ meant. Now I understand that it is an equivalent to the amount of sleep acquired overnight. * and I then helped * to understand why we are interested in researching sleep and why sleep is necessary to human beings to function and recover during the night.


4

Work log 3: Wednesday 7th March

Today, * read my ‘outline of issue’ section of the proposal. She also gave me some constructive advice to allow the question to flow. I also helped * to create her research question as she had been away and was confused about how to write a research question. I then assisted * to create her ‘outline of the issue’ as I described to her why humans need sleep. I helped * next to write her ‘outline of issue’ as she was unsure how to word the statement and how to incorporate her research question into the proposal. * and I assisted * to reword her research project question as she was struggling to create a question based on her chosen focus group question. I then clarified with * and * that no capital letters are required when writing the word ‘qualitative’.


5

PROPOSALThe research topic for this investigation regards the factors associated with duration of sleep acquired per night. Sleep studies are important as sleep is a basic necessity required for humans to survive and function. By researching factors associated with sleep, certain factors negatively impacting sleep can be identified and therefore avoided.

The research question is, ‘what commonalities lie among factors associated with sleep duration and sleep patterns?’

This investigation will be a qualitative research design as focus groups will be used to gain rich, verbal data about the topic recorded by a scribe. The focus group will obtain in-depth data in the form of a discussion between research participants, with participants encouraged to talk to each other, exchange personal experiences and ask questions. The question will be based on an original focus group question, ‘what are some of the factors that affect your levels of sleep, or your sleep patterns?’

The research method is qualitative, as content analysis will be used to analyse the qualitative verbal responses received as a result of the focus groups.

The qualitative investigation will follow the process of content analysis, whereby data will be collated and analysed by firstly becoming familiar with the data and searching for reoccurring words, phrases and themes relating to the research question. Next, five themes will be examined for consistencies and identified and labeled. Frequencies of the five themes will then be counted and presented in a frequency table to allow for easy interpretation of the data.


6

Seventeen consecutive hours of being awake, results in a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood-alcohol level of 0.05%.1 Sleep is a basic requirement, humans require to function at optimum levels of performance daily. Therefore, by investigating factors affecting sleep patterns, factors negatively affecting sleep duration can be avoided. The participants involved in the qualitative investigation consisted of four focus groups containing 45 participants from two year 12 psychology classes. The research question of the investigation was ‘what commonalities lie among factors associated with sleep duration and sleep patterns?’ The research method used to convert raw data into meaningful form was content analysis, whereby data was collated and analysed by becoming familiar with data and searching for reoccurring words, phrases and themes relating to the research question. Then, five themes were examined for consistencies, identified and labeled. Frequencies of themes were then counted and presented in a frequency table allowing for easy interpretation of the data.

1 The National Sleep Research Project - 40 amazing facts about sleep. 2018. The National Sleep Research Project - 40 amazing facts about sleep. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm. [Accessed 14 March 2018].


7

RESULTSTable 1- Frequency table displaying reoccurring themes regarding sleep patterns and sleep duration per night

Theme Illustrative comment Frequency

Temperature (seasons, fan on etc.)

“Summer is hard to sleep in because it’s so hot”, “humidity and no air conditioning makes it hard to sleep”, “Winter I’m more tired”

23

Light & sounds “dark environment helps sleep”, “whether the room is pitch black or light”, “the kettle in the morning affects sleep”

20

Emotions & cognition “when I am sad I will sleep a lot more”, “if thinking about things a lot, something’s on your mind, it’s hard to get to sleep”, “if excited hard to get to sleep’

16

Consumption (food, drinks, tablets etc.)

“under the influence of sleeping tablets or alcohol”, “full and not hungry”, “Tea or caffeine”

12

Other “clean sheets”, “family”, “comfortable pillow”, “alarms”, “going on phone doesn’t help sleep”, “more sleep the night before it’s easier to sleep”

14

Table 1 displays reoccurring themes identified through the process of content analysis. The three dominant themes recorded were ‘temperature’, ‘light & sounds’ and ‘emotion & cognition’. These responses were recorded as a result of the original focus group question ‘what are some of the factors that affect your levels of sleep, or your sleep patterns?’


8

DISCUSSIONInterpretation

The theme, ‘temperature’, held the highest frequency of 27% of responses, implying that the theme answers the research question regarding factors affecting sleep duration and patterns. It also implies that participants find it harder to sleep according to different factors, including the time of year. Under the theme of ‘temperature’, comments including “winter I’m more tired”, imply participants believed a lower level of arousal was abundant in cooler months leading to increased levels of sleepiness, therefore influencing sleep.

‘Light and sounds’ had a frequency of 23.5%, implying participants identified their sleep was influenced by factors relating to the presence of light and sounds. Under this theme, comments including “dark environment helps sleep” and “the kettle in the morning affects sleep”, meant participants believed their sleeping environment influences amount of sleep received and sleep patterns, therefore providing answering the research question.

‘Emotions and cognition’ held a frequency of 18.8% of the data, implying participants were influenced by emotions and thoughts throughout the day, therefore answering the research question. Comments including “when I’m sad I will sleep a lot more” and “if thinking about things a lot, something’s on your mind, it’s hard to get to sleep”, meant participants believed experiences and emotional responses throughout the day influence sleep.

‘Consumption’ consisted of 14% of the data, implying participants were influenced by consumption throughout the day. Comments including “under the influence of sleeping tablets or alcohol” and “full and not hungry”, imply participants believed consumption of food, drinks or relaxants impacted sleeping patterns and sleep duration. Therefore, this theme answers the research question.

‘Other’ contained the remainder of the responses with 16.4%. Comments including “sleeping in own bed” and “going on phone doesn’t help sleep”, imply that other factors including bedding and electronic devices have been identified to impact upon participants sleep duration and patterns, therefore, answering the research question.

https://


9

Studies identify internal and external factors including light, medical conditions, shifts/schedules and substances have a major influence on sleep duration achieved per night and sleep patterns. 2 Reoccurring factors including light and substances in this investigation imply that results achieved are consistent with previous studies. The investigation has not majorly contributed to the knowledge of sleep psychology as these factors have been previously identified as significant.

The investigation was not representative of the student body as the four focus groups containing two year 12 psychology classes were not representative of the data collected. The psychology classes consisting of 45 participants, contained students from 16 to 17 years of age, therefore not representing people older or younger than this bracket. The data collected from the study is not applicable to the population as different sleep factors affect individuals. The results cannot be generalised to both genders, as 37 females and 8 males participated. The results do not represent vulnerable groups including young children, as children do not typically ingest sleeping medication or alcohol. The results could not be generalised to sleep disorder patients, as their disorders may impact sleep as separate contributing factors. As participants involved in the study were in year 12, sleep may have been an issue before the commencement of the investigation due to school-related pressures, contributing to sleep duration and patterns.

Evaluation

The qualitative research method and design used was successful as it was useful to gain in- depth knowledge regarding factors influencing of sleep duration and patterns. Data received as a result of the design was rich, verbal data, useful in gaining an understanding of the topic due to discussions engaged throughout focus groups, allowing opinions and experiences to be discussed. Throughout the process of content analysis, themes were easily able to be identified and analysed as content analysis allows for data to be easily interpreted by a large audience.

2 What Affects Sleep | What Causes Lack of Sleep | Dream Essentials . 2018. What Affects Sleep | What Causes Lack of

Sleep | Dream Essentials . [ONLINE] Available at:

[Accessed 19 March 2018].

10


The study was also unsuccessful as the focus groups were subjective to bias. The presence of facilitator in the focus groups, possibly negatively influenced responses as participants were aware of the scribe recording responses. The qualitative design does not maximize control over extraneous variables, as extraneous variables, including quality of sleep received, preexisting sleep disorders and activities endured throughout the day may have caused results to be inaccurate due to the impacts these activities have on levels of sleepiness. The responses recorded in the focus groups cannot be generalised due to the nature of the study. Therefore, due to extraneous variables mentioned above, the investigation is not applicable to the population as these variables could impact overall levels of sleepiness.

The results achieved through the investigation were not high in external validity due to the gender and age bias, as the majority of the participants involved in the focus groups were females aged between 16 and 17 years of age. However, the results of the investigation can be applicable to some of the population due to the human requirement of sleep. The internal validity of the experiment was modest as the study measured what it was supposed to measure based on the original focus group question which was, ‘what are some of the factors that affect your levels of sleep, or your sleep patterns?’ Therefore, participants directly answered the focus group question, and therefore, the research question. The reliability of the experiment was low, as if the test was repeated under similar conditions, participants may answer the focus group questions with different responses due to extraneous variables, including the time of day and individual participants’ mood.

To improve the investigation, an objective quantitative measure could be used to measure levels of sleepiness or sleep duration, therefore, eliminating bias. Objective quantitative measures include physiological measures, including heart rate or body temperature as these cannot be argued with. Behaviour counts could also be used, recording the number of times participants yawn per day. Sleep trackers including Fitbits could also be provided to record exact times participants fell asleep and woke, to eliminate possible inaccuracies regarding sleep duration. The investigation may obtain additional accurate and reliable results if the research design was changed to quantitative observational allowing for research to be conducted in a natural setting such as the participants’ own bedroom. As a result, physiological measures indicating sleep duration can be measured, such as the heart rate of individuals.

11


The ethic of confidentiality was breached as the psychology students would have observed peers participating in the focus groups and heard contributions to the discussion. The participants were also divided into focus groups according to ID numbers, meaning participants could identify students involved in the white noise and non-white noise groups according to the allocation of focus groups.

Voluntary participation may have been breached as a result of the investigation, as the year 12 students may have felt obliged to participate in the focus groups due to pressure of friends or teacher present. They may have also felt obliged, since their peers would have seen them refusing to participate in the focus group.

General wellbeing may have been breached, as participants may have had a heightened state of arousal, as contributing to the discussion required speaking in front of their peers. Participants may have felt anxious to speak out in fear of providing a ‘wrong answer’ or believed they would be judged by their peers for contributing.


12

The aim of the investigation was to identify common reoccurring factors influencing sleep duration and patterns, to avoid specific factors negatively impacting sleep. ‘Temperature’ was the most significant theme recorded with a frequency of 27%, followed by ‘light and sounds’ with 23.5% and ‘emotions and cognition’ with 18.8%. The theme ‘consumption’ held a total of 14% of the data, followed by ‘other’ factors, including the participant’s bedding and electronic exposure before bed, consisting of 16.4% of responses. The research question was successfully answered as the results identified common factors affecting sleep duration and patterns. The results were also consistent with past research as these factors have been identified in previous studies. The results provided a brief insight into factors affecting sleep, however, further in-depth research is required to discover details of these factors, including specific emotions decreasing sleep duration, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the study of sleep.

https://


13

BIBLIOGRAPHYThe National Sleep Research Project - 40 amazing facts about sleep. 2018. The National Sleep Research Project - 40 amazing facts about sleep. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm. [Accessed 14 March 2018].

What Affects Sleep | What Causes Lack of Sleep | Dream Essentials . 2018. What Affects Sleep | What Causes Lack of Sleep| Dream Essentials . [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 19 March 2018]


14

APPENDICESAPPENDIX A:Qualitative raw, analysed data- focus group:

Question 3

(a) What are some of the factors that affect your levels of sleep, or your sleep patterns? For

example, the weather or season, food you have or haven’t eaten, or your emotional state.

temperature, light & sounds, emotions & cognition, consumption & other.

- Summer is hard to sleep in because it’s so hot- When I’m sad I will sleep a lot more- When I feel good I don't need as much sleep- Blankets make you more tired- Winter I’m more tired- Waking up when its dark is really hard- Busy night make me pretty tired- Overthinking thigs make it harder to harder to sleep- Thinking about sleeping makes me not sleep- When I want tomorrow to come it doesn't- When its hot its harder to sleep- Sleeping in your own bed- Sleep better when you are calm- Whether the room is pitch black or light- Family- Whether windows and doors are shut or open- Under the influence of sleeping tablets or alcohol- When the fan is- Relaxants- Tea or caffeine- Sleep better in winter- Air flow or no air flow- Full and not hungry- Comfortable pillow- Quietness- Alarms / if you have to wake up- Day’s events- Clean sheets- Humidity and no air conditioning makes it hard to sleep.- Must regulate the temperature of the air to help sleep.- Need to sleep with a quilt on.- Helps no window is in room, no morning light.- Too cold makes it hard to sleep, likes the heat.- Upset of something, exhausting and makes going to sleep easier.- If excited maybe hard to get to sleep.


15

- Can’t sleep in summer because of the heat.- Light and noises don’t affect sleep, sleep through it.- Can’t wear long sleeve clothing to bed, can’t sleep and gets twisted.- Food has no affect.- Hot nights get up and get a drink.- If thinking about things a lot, somethings on your mind, it is hard to get to sleep.- Dark environment helps sleep.- Prefer to sleep when its cold, so in summer must have the fan on.- Can’t sleep when its warm.- Easier to sleep when its warm.- Easier to warm up then cool down.- Clocks does head in.- Can’t sleep if door is open.- Need it to be dark.- Cats and lightning make it hard to sleep.- The kettle in the morning affects sleep.- Showers may help with sleep, helps knowing your clean.- If sheets are freshly washed, helps go to sleep.- Going on phone doesn’t help sleep.- Stress- Summer is bad time to sleep- I cant sleep in heat- I cant sleep in stress or sleep- If any emotion is elevated then I can’t sleep- I get emotionally drained heaps. If anything emotional gets met hen im dead tired. I sleep well

when im sad.- Caffeine effects sleep on people. Most people makes them feel more awake but It puts me to

sleep. After you’ve had coffee you sleep for a while.- I had 3 shots of coffee I had the coffee shakes and I was awake.- I cant sleep if I haven’t eaten- Warm drink of milk honey cinnamon helps- It doesn’t help at all

- Food or drink doesn’t help- Honey helps- More sleep the night before its easier to sleep.- I sleep better if I haven’t had sleep for days and then I sleep.- I cant sleep when its humid or muggy.- I prefer to be rugged up- I love to cuddle with things- I hate heat though- I sleep with a teddy to hold it- I like the trucks going past- RAINNNN!!!- Rain is great.- Silence is the best- I miss living on a main road- I love the car noises- I hate traffic- I live no where near a road so if I hear cars I hate it.- I like the dark- I don’t care for the light or dark

contents - stage2psychatfaith.weebly.com · web viewmrs codrington also helped me to write the...

Documents