Lab Report #2- Reflex Arc Lab

Arpita Rathod
NBCC
Biology 122
11/25/2023
Background

The receptors that get stimulated are what make up the reflex arc. The sensory cells send the
input to the central interneuron which then sends it to a motor neuron. The response is made
by the effector which takes the efferent impulses from the motor neurons. There's also a two
neuron arc where the receptor makes a direct connection to the motor neuron. All of this adds
up to an automatic reflex that only involves one part of your body and is fast, short-term, and
fast. All of this will be shown in this lab.

Purpose

In this lab, we'll be looking at different reflex arcs and reaction times. We'll be testing ourselves
and our chosen assistant's reflexes and reaction times through a series of tests.

Hypothesis

To give you an idea of what's going to happen during these tests, it'll show how our visual
reflexes work, but it'll also show how our response times are affected. For example, we'll use
forces to hit our knee tendon, or we'll show how our pupils open up when we project light into
them. We'll do these tests with a few other experiments in this lab. Finally, it's likely that the
results of these tests won't be the same.

Materials

We'll be using a hairbrush with a handle, a medium-sized hard-covered book with a cap on it,
a flashlight from our phone, and a ruler to do the experiments.

Procedure

There are a few tests you'll do in this lab. The first one is the patella-kneejerk reflex. Start with
your partner sitting cross-legged and tell them to let down their upper leg as much as possible.
Then, find the tendon under their kneecap on their upper leg and tap it gently with a long object.
Write down the results. Next, have them hold a book in both hands and tap the tendon in their
knee like they did before. Repeat all these tests but have your partner do them on you. The
second test is the Achilles reflex. Get your partner to take off all their shoes and socks, then
kneel on a chair with the exposed foot over the side. Tap the Achilles tendon while they push
their toes towards the chair. Note the results. The Babinski reflex is the third test. Have your
partner sit on the chair with their exposed foot on another chair for support. Pick up your "reflex
hammer" quickly and move it from heel to toes of the foot. Keep track of the results and have
your partner do the same to you. The pupillary reflex is the final test in this part. Have your
partner close one eye for a minute and then open it again. Quickly compare the size of the pupil
between the open eye and the closed eye. Then, have your partner close both eyes before
opening them. Quickly shine a light into one eye and make a note of the results. Let your partner
do the same steps with you and make a note of what happened. Now, let's move on to the next
part of the lab assignment. Ask your partner to put their arm flat on the desk, with their hand
stretched out over the edge. Make sure they don't hold the ruler, just drop it. Tell them you'll
drop the ruler in the next 30 seconds and have them try to catch it between their thumbs and
forefingers when you drop it. Then, measure and write down how far the ruler falls. Do this
five times and then calculate the average distance. Do this for your partner's other hand too.
Have your partner do this test on you, and then move on to question 2. Do the red light and
green light reaction test at the following link:

https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/redgreen.html

Make sure you note your results.

Observations and Results:

Part A: Perform the Appropriate tests for each reflex below:

1. Patellar (knee-jerk) Reflex: Have your partner sit with one leg crossed over the other.
Tell him or her to relax the upper leg as much as possible. Locate the soft spot (the
tendon) under the kneecap of your partner’s upper leg. Using a solid length of any
object (a small rubber mallet, the thick blunt handle of a kitchen utensil, or even a
TV remote), gently strike the tendon. Record any observations.

Hold the book tightly in your partner’s hands and repeat the steps above. Keep
track of your observations and compare to the previous steps.

Do the same with yourself as a test subject and your test partner as a tester. Keep
track of all observations.

When I was testing my sister with a hairbrush handle, I used some force to hit her tendon
in the right spot. Her leg kicked out a bit higher than normal. When I asked her to hold a
book tightly with both hands, I hit her tendon with the same object and she kicked out
around the same height, maybe a bit higher. Now I'm testing myself. I hit my knee in the
same spot, and my leg kicked out the same way she did, but not as high.

2. Achilles Reflex: Have your partner remove a shoe and sock, then kneel on a chair so
that the exposed foot hangs over the edge. Push his or her toes towards the chair and
then lightly tap the Achilles tendon (the long rope-like structure above the heel) with
your “reflex hammer”. Record any observations.

Do the same thing with you as a test subject and with your partner as a tester.
Keep track of everything.

First, I did the experiment on my sister with the same plastic handle I use on my
hairbrush. When I hit the tendon, I saw her foot reflex and push down from the top half
of her leg. Then, when I ran the experiment on my foot, it did the same thing with almost
as much reflex.

3. Babinski Reflex: While your partner’s foot is still exposed, ask him or her to sit on
the chair and place the shoeless foot on another chair for support. Quickly slide your
“reflex hammer” across the sole of the foot from heel to toes. Record any
observations.

Do the same thing with you and your partner as a test subject. Keep track of
everything you see.
 When my sister was given a "reflex hammer" to move up the sole of her foot to her toes,
her toes started to move inwards and reflex. The same thing happened to me when I was
given the same experiment.

4. Pupillary Reflex: Ask your partner to close one eye for one minute, then ask him or
her to open that eye again. Quickly, compare the size of his or her pupils (the black
spot in the middle of the eye) between the eye that was closed and the one that
remained opened. Record all observations.

Ask your partner to close both eyes for one minute, then ask him or her to open both
eyes at the same time. Quickly, shine a penlight in one of the eyes. Record your
observations.

Now do the same again with you as the test subject and your partner as the tester.
Record all observations.

When my sister closed her eyes for a minute and then opened them back up, the pupil of
her eye was slightly enlarged/dilated. But when she closed both eyes and then opened
them again, the pupil was fully dilated, especially when the light was shining on them. I
did the same test on myself and I got pretty much the same results as my sister - no big
difference.

Part B: Measuring Reaction Rate

1. Place your partner’s arm flat on the table so that the hand is bent over the table’s
edge. Ask your partner to put their index finger and thumb about two centimetres
apart. Put a 30-centimetre ruler between your index finger and thumb. Put the
lower end (and zero mark) between the top of your thumb and your index finger.
Notice that your partner doesn’t hold the ruler. You hold it in place.

Tell your partner you’re going to drop the ruler in the next 30 seconds. Then, ask
them to grab the ruler between their thumbs and forefingers immediately after
you drop it. Then, measure and write down how far the ruler will fall. Do this five
times and then calculate the average distance. Repeat the process for the other
hand. Write down all observations in a table.

Now repeat the process for you as a test subject and for your partner as a tester.
Keep all notes in your table.
Table #1: Ruler Drop Test
My sister Myself
Left hand Right hand Left hand Right hand
Trial # Distance Trial # Distance Trial # Distance Trial # Distance
1 16 cm 1 12 cm 1 20 cm 1 16 cm
2 19 cm 2 16 cm 2 19 cm 2 14 cm
3 22 cm 3 15 cm 3 23 cm 3 15 cm
4 21 cm 4 21 cm 4 19 cm 4 13 cm
5 19 cm 5 15 cm 5 17 cm 5 22 cm
average 19.5 cm average 15.8 cm average 19.7 cm average 16.4 cm
(Rathod, 2023)
 As you can see, our left hand reacts much more slowly than our right hand because
we both have right hands.

2. Complete the red light-green light reaction test at

https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/redgreen.html

Record your results in a table.

Table 2: Red/Green Light test
Test Number Reaction Time Stoplight The button to click
1 0.22
2 0.29
Click here
3 0.24
4 0.22 to start!
5 0.26
Average 0.25

(Rathod, 2023)

Analysis

1. How are the patellar and Achilles reflexes important in walking? Explain

The patella reflex causes the muscles in the front and back of the legs to contract alternately.
The patella is stretched when it is tapped, which is just like when the back of your leg begins
to contract.

The Achilles reflex occurs when the tendon in the heel is tapped while you are dorsiflexing
your foot. The Achilles reflex is a type of stretch reflex. It tests the function of the nerve which
sends signals to and controls the gingrocnemus (gastrocnemus).

2. Is the knee-jerk reaction exaggerated or understated when gripping a book? Explain.

The knee jerk response is increased when you grip the book tightly. Your muscles are stronger
and more compressed, so when you're being pulled towards your knee, they're more likely to
respond aggressively.

3. The Babinski reflex in babies is opposite to that of adults. Why might this be?

Babinski reflexes are common in newborns and babies because it is a normal neurological
function for this age group. Babinsky reflexes in older children and adults are abnormal and
are a sign of a spinal cord or neurological disorder.

4. What is the purpose of the pupillary reflex?

The pupillary reflex regulates light output to the retina and protects photoreceptors from
light. The iris contains two sets of smooth muscle groups that regulate pupil size.
5. The reaction time experiment required visual information (the movement of the ruler)
to travel to your brain. Then your brain sent a motor command to the muscles of your
arm and hand. Explain several factors that would affect the reaction times in a range of
people.

Here is a conversion table for reaction rates in the ruler test:

e.g If the ruler was caught at the 20 cm mark, then your reaction time is equal to 0.20
seconds (or 200 ms).

The reaction time experiment required visual information (the movement of the ruler)
to travel to your brain. Then your brain sent a motor command to the muscles of your
arm and hand.

Explain a few factors that would affect reaction times in a range of people.

With this test some of the things that would influence the response time would be the
waiting for the green light to come on and seeing how quickly we can click the button
on the prompt. This can affect the nerves of the person, which would either slow them
down because they are waiting for the light to change colour or speed them up because
of the adrenalin they are feeling. It could also just be because the person is looking
somewhere else or not paying attention.

6. Did the student’s red light-green light reaction times increase or decrease over the
five trials? Explain possible reasons for any pattern noted.

The response time for red-light and green-light situations was random. I think it was mainly
because I was so preoccupied with the light changing colour that when it finally did, I almost
felt like I wasn't reacting properly. It was like I was moving slowly to click the button, and
sometimes I almost clicked the button too quickly because I knew the light was going to
change. Also, I had a bit of a distraction going on - my dogs playing with their toys, or
 jumping up on my bed - but there could be a lot of reasons why someone's reaction time
could be slower or faster. Fatigue, distractions in the background, and even mindfulness
could all play a role.

Conclusions

To sum up, the goal of this assignment was to perform a series of experiments (with someone
else) to test reflexes and response time, and that is exactly what we did. As per the instructions,
my sister and I performed a series of experiments to test our reflexes on a visual level and then
recorded our reaction time for these tests. No unexpected results were recorded. We both knew
that our response time for these tests wouldn’t be consistent.
Discussion

1. Create your own labelled diagram that illustrates the details of how a reflex arc
works. Handdrawn diagrams are to be copied and pasted into this assignment.
Your drawing must include a title, a citation, and a full APA reference. Drawing
must be original – do not use or copy a published image – create your own!

Reflex Arc Illustration

(Ref: https://byjus.com/biology/reflex-action/, Rathod,2023)

2. A child touches a hot stove, withdraws her hand, and then yells. Explain in detail
why the yelling occurs after the hand is already withdrawn.

The reason for this is that the reflex arc is already aware that the child must take their
hand away from the burner, and has already sent the neurons toward the effector.
Thus, the screaming only starts once the child does so.
3. If, within a reflex arc, a motor neuron (as opposed to a sensory neuron) is
severed, how is the reflex arc affected? Explain.
These neurons are located in the spinal cord and don’t need any input from the brain.
Reflexes are involuntary reactions to the environment that happen very quickly and
allow for modulation of the reaction through brain inputs.

4. The patellar reflex is a monosynaptic reflex. Explain.

Monosynaptic reflexes like the knee jerk reflex are simple reflexes that involve only
one synapse between sensory neurons and motor neurons. After inhibiting the
antagonistic muscle, the agonist muscle contracts. The quadriceps contract and the
hamstrings contract during the knee jerk reaction.

5. Why would a first responder at the scene of an accident lightly poke a victim’s
leg with a needle, starting at the ankle and moving towards the knee? Explain.
The reason for this is that the first responders will stick a needle into the victim’s leg
to see if the victim is conscious or not. The first responders can also see if the leg is
moving because of the reflex.
 References

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Reflex arc. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August
4, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/science/reflex-arc

© New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. All Rights
Reserved. (n.d.). The Reflex Arc. Module 3: Maintaining Dynamic Equilibrium. Retrieved
Nov 25, 2022, from
https://elearning.nbcc.ca/d2l/le/content/135045/viewContent/2265374/View

Whitmer, K. H. (2021, February 1). Assessment of patellar and achilles reflexes. A Mixed
CourseBased Research Approach to Human Physiology. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from
https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/curehumanphysiology/chapter/patellar-and-achilles-reflexes/

Jewell, T. (2017, March 8). Babinski sign. Healthline. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from
https://www.healthline.com/health/babinski-sign

Admin. (2022, July 5). Reflex action - definition, process and examples. BYJUS. Retrieved
August 4, 2022, from https://byjus.com/biology/reflex-action/

Why would a first responder at the scene of an accident lightly poke a victim's leg with a
needle, starting at the ankle and moving towar... Quora. (n.d.). Retrieved August 4, 2022,
from https://www.quora.com/Why-would-a-first-responder-at-the-scene-of-an-accident-
lightly-poke-a-victim-s-leg-with-a-needle-starting-at-the-ankle-and-moving-towards-the-knee