LAB - Observing Nervous System Responses

*** RECORD YOUR THREE HYPOTHESES, DATA TABLES, CALCULATIONS, DATA ANALYSIS ANSWERS, AND CONCLUSION ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER WITH YOUR LAB PARTNERS NAMES TO TURN IN. Purpose: You will model nerve signal transmission, observe two reflex actions, and measure your reaction time. Hypothesis: 1. How fast are nerve signals transmitted? 2. Can you control reflex actions? 3. How can you measure reaction time? Materials: noise maker, stop watch, meter stick (one per group) Procedure: Part A. Nerve Signal Transmission 1. All students stand in a circle around the room with hands joined and EYES CLOSED. 2. The teacher will join the circle and give the person to their left the noise maker to hold in his or her right hand. 3. The teacher will hold the stop watch in their left hand, behind their back. 4. The teacher will squeeze the hand of the person to their right and start the stopwatch simultaneously. 5. That person is then to squeeze the hand of the person to his or her right, and so on around the circle until the last person feels the squeeze. He or she is then to squeeze the noise maker. 6. Stop the stop watch when you hear the horn. 7. Repeat three times and get the average, recording your data in Data Table 2. 8. Measure the span from tip of right hand to tip of left for several people in the class and figure out the average distance the signal traveled per person. Record in Data Table 1. 9. Count the number of people in the circle. Record in Data Table 1. 10. Speed = distance/time. Calculate the transmission speed of the signal in meters/seconds (you will need to convert from centimeters to meters first). Answer questions 1-2.

Data Table 1
Person 1 2 3 Average Arm Span Total people in circle Arm Span (cm)

Data Table 2
Trials 1 2 3 Average Time Time (sec)

Part B. Reflexes 1. Sit on the edge of the lab table with your legs dangling (you dont need to cross your legs as shown in the picture). 2. Have your lab partner tap your knee firmly, slightly below the knee cap, with the side of their hand, as shown in Figure 1. Record your observations in data table 3. CAUTION: Be sure the knee is not hit hard. A firm, quick tap is sufficient. Avoid this experiment if a physical problem in the knee exists. 3. Repeat steps 1 to 3. This time, try to stop your knee from jerking. Record your observations in data table 2. 4. Reverse roles and repeat steps 1 to 4. Answer questions 3-4.

Data Table 3
Stimulus Knee reflex Knee reflex/stop Observations

Part C. Reaction Time 1. Rest your elbow on a table and extend your arm over its side as shown in Figure 2. 2. Have a group member hold a meter stick in the air, with the 0-cm line between the thumb and index finger of your extended hand. 3. Have the group member drop the meter stick without advance notice. Try to catch it between your thumb and index finger as quickly as possible. 4. In Data Table 4, record in centimeters the position of your thumb and index finger. This is the distance the meter stick fell before you caught it. 5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 three times. Answer questions 5-8.

Data Table 4 (Write down your own reaction times below.)

Trial 1 2 3 4 Average Data Analysis: 1. What was the transmission speed of the signal? 2. Compare the speed you calculated to the transmission speed of large myelinated axon, 200 m/s (same as 447 miles/hour!). Why is the speed you calculated so much slower? 3. What happened to your knee when it was tapped? 4. Could you prevent the knee jerk? Explain your answer. 5. Is catching the meter stick a voluntary reaction or a reflex? Explain your answer. 6. What was the average distance the meter stick fell in your four trials? 7. In catching the meter stick, were your reactions faster or slower than those of your classmates across the lab table? How do you know? 8. From your observations, how would you classify the knee-jerk? Explain your reason. Conclusion: 1. Support or reject your three hypotheses. Be sure to refer to your specific data. 2. Suggest some possible ways that reflex arcs could be advantageous to a species. 3. Error analysis and suggestions Distance (cm)