Name: __________________________________________ Block: _______ Date: ___________
Nervous System Lab
Directions: This will be a whole class lab. We will work through and answer the questions on
the lab together. You will need to type the questions in a document on Google Classroom, or
write down your answers.
Engage Introduction: Behavior is one kind of response an organism can make to an internal or
environmental stimulus. A behavioral response requires coordination and communication at
many levels, including cells, organ systems, and whole organisms. Behavioral response is a set
of actions determined in part by heredity and in part from experience. Watch this TED Talk
until 9:30 seconds before continuing:
https://www.ted.com/talks/todd_kuiken_a_prosthetic_arm_that_feels
Part A Explore: The Nervous System in Action
1. Join hands with all your fellow students in an open area. The first student should have a
stopwatch.
2. The first student hits “START" on the stopwatch and squeezes the second student's
hand at the same time. When that student feels the squeeze, he or she should squeeze
the next student in line. When the squeeze has reached the last student in the line, he
or she say “STOP” out loud. When student #1 hears “STOP”, he hits "STOP" on the
stopwatch and records the time.
3. Let someone else be "student #1" and try again. Repeating several times and averaging
will help you get a better answer.
Trial Number
1
2
3
Number of Students Involved
Time (s) for Message to be Delivered
Part B Explore: The Nervous System in Action (again)
1. Hold ankles with your right hand with all your fellow students in an open area.
2. The first student hits “START" on the stopwatch and squeezes the second student's
ankle at the same time. When that student feels the squeeze, he or she should squeeze
the next student’s ankle in line. When the squeeze has reached the last student in the
line, he or she say “STOP” out loud. When student #1 hears “STOP”, he hits "STOP" on
the stopwatch and records the time.
3. Let someone else be "student #1" and try again. Repeating several times and averaging
will help you get a better answer.
Trial Number
1
Number of Students Involved
Time (s) for Message to be Delivered
2
3
Part C Explain: Experiment Questions
1. In which experiment did the message travel the faster? Holding hands or holding
ankles? Explain why you think this is.
2. Do you think a message other than touch would travel faster through your nervous
system? Why or why not?
Part D Elaborate: What is the nervous system?
Answer the following questions about the nervous system using the nervous system virtual lab
on our class website, http://www.mrciambrone.com/nervous-system.html:
1. What is the nervous system?
2. What is the autonomic nervous system?
3. What is somatic nervous system?
4. Describe neurons.
5. What are sensory neurons?
6. What are motor neurons?
Part E Evaluate: Open Response
1. Explain how the nervous system interacts with 2 other organ systems (6-8 sentences).