Response/nervous System

Question 1

What can Effectors be? And how will the effector react?

Answer 1

Effectors can be muscles or glands.

A muscle responds to the stimulus by contracting
A gland responds to the stimulus by secreting chemical substances.

Question 2

Why doesn’t the reflex action involve the conscious part of the brain?

Answer 2

It makes the reflex action faster

Question 3

Describe, as fully as you can, the processes by which the person
responds to the stimulus of pain from a sharp object

Answer 3

The persons skin detects a stimulus (change in temperature)
Electric impulses travel from the receptor and through the sensory neuron.
Sensory neurone then passes these impulses to the relay neuron.
Relay neuron interprets the impulses and sends them to the motor neuron.
Motor neuron then sends the electric impulses to the effector
In which the effector produces a response and the person contracts their muscle and moves their hand.

Question 4

Why are reflex actions useful?

Answer 4

It produces an automatic response
Protects the body from danger/ harm

Question 5

What is the knee-jerk reflex?

Answer 5

It’s a reflex that doctors use to check if the nervous system is working properly or not

Question 6

How does the knee jerk reflex work?

Answer 6

Stimulus- the quadriceps muscle stretch due to the pressure on the ligament ( this pressure is created by the hammer)
Receptor- stretch receptors in the quadriceps muscle
Coordinator- the spinal cord
Effector- the quadriceps muscle
Response- the quadriceps muscle contract and straighten

Question 7

Rearrange this: receptor-stimulus- coordinator- effector - response

Answer 7

Stimulus- receptor- coordinator- effector- response

Question 8

Give two examples of reflex actions-

Answer 8

Pain- withdrawal reflex
Knee jerk reflex

Question 9

What is a synapse

Answer 9

Gaps between neurons

Question 10

How is information passed from neuron to neuron?

Answer 10

By chemical transmission

Question 11

How is information passed through the synapses?

Answer 11

Electric impulses passes through the 1st neurons axon.
At the ends of the neuron, chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) are released.
These chemicals travel across the synapse ( gap between neurons) and bind with the 2nd neurons receptors.
Receptors from the 2nd neuron only bind with specific chemicals.
Finally, the 2nd neuron is stimulated and transmits electric impulses through its axon.

Question 12

How can prolonged drug use alter/ block the synapses in your brain?

Answer 12

Synapse activity decreases
No action potential can be made, so no signal reaches your brain.

Question 13

What is action potential-

Answer 13

Release of neurotransmitters from neuron A to neuron B

Question 14

What is habituation?

Answer 14

A learned behaviour caused by the repetition of the stimulus, resulting in a decreased response to the stimulus since the animal doesn’t receive a reward/ punishment from this stimuli.

Question 15

What is imprinting?

Answer 15

The process in which animals form strong attachments from their early life.

Question 16

What is classic conditioning?

Answer 16

A learned behavior that is caused when an animal links a certain stimulus to an action it normally wouldn’t respond to. E.g. dogs salivating whilst they’re hearing the bell so they know food will be served.

Question 17

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 17

A learned behaviour in which a piece of trial behaviour done by the animal is either rewarded or punished.

Question 18

What is Innate behaviour-

Answer 18

Behaviours that come from a genetic level. These behaviours cannot be modified

Question 19

What is learned behaviour?

Answer 19

Behaviour that comes from experience.

Question 20

What are the ways in which an animal communicates?

Answer 20

Sound signals: animals are able to hear different sounds at different frequencies. Sounds are used for communication to display complex emotions, mark territory and warn off rivals.
Examples: Bats are able to use echolocation to find prey. Birds sing to mark their territory.

Visual signals: visual cues can indicate an animals mood. If they’re hungry, sleepy,etc. visual signals can be linked to finding a mate, reproduction and protecting offspring.
Examples: bees have black and yellow warning colours (sign of danger). Peacocks tail feather display to attract mates.

Chemical signals: these include scents and pheromones, that you cannot consciously smell but affect your mood.
To indicate fertility in a group of dogs, to show dominance in a group of wolves.

Question 21

Why is parental care important? What are the risks to parents of parental care?

Answer 21

Because it increases the survival chances of the offspring and so there will be a higher chance of the parental genes passing on to the next generation.

They will get distracted whilst taking care of their offspring which makes them more vulnerable.