Stimuli and Responses

1.1 The Human Nervous System

Definition
T he human nervous system is the control system in the human body

T he nervous system is divided into:

Central nervous system

Peripheral nervous system

T he structure of the human nervous system:

 

T he pathway of the human nervous system:

1. Stimuli

2. Sensory 

3. Organs/receptors

4. Nerve impulses

5. T he brain

6. Nerve impulses

7. Effector
 8. Respond

T ype of response:

Controlled action

Out-of-control actions

Definition
Controlled action Out-of-control actions
Actions that can be controlled by one’s Actions that occur automatically, that is are unnoticed and cannot be controlled according to one’s
will will

Example
- Communication - Breathing

- T hinking - Digestion

- Eating - Eye reflex

1.2 Stimulus and Response in Humans

Definition
Sensory organs are organs that can detect stimuli

Humans have five sensory organs:

Skin (touch)

Nose (smell)

T ongue (taste)

Ears (hearing)

Eyes (Sight)

T he function of eyes:

Focusing on objects near and far

Produces continuous images that are sent directly to the brain

As a sense of sight

T he structure of eyes:
 

T he function of each eyes structure:

 

T he mechanism of vision:

Light from an object enters the eye through the pupil

Light is refracted by the cornea, aqueous humor, eye lens, and vitreous humor
 Inverted and small images are formed on the retina

T he retina produces nerve impulses and the optic nerve transmits them to the brain

T he brain translates impulses and produces upright images

T he function of ears:

T o keep our balance and hearing

As a sense of smell

T he structure of ears:

T he function of each ears structure:

T he structure of ears Function

Ossicles Amplifies the vibration of sound and sends it to the oval window

Earlobe Receives sound waves

Ear canal T ransmits sound waves to the eardrum

T he eardrum Vibrates when sound waves hit it

Semicircular canal Controls body balance

T he auditory nerve Sends impulses from the cochlea to the brain

Cochlea Converts sound vibrations into impulses

Oval window T ransmits sound vibrations from the middle ear to the inner ear

Eustachian tube Balances the air pressure on both sides of the eardrum

T he mechanism of hearing:

Sound waves enter the ear canal

T he eardrum receives sound waves and vibrates

 T he vibrations are amplified by the ossicle bone and transmitted to the oval window

T he oval windows vibrated

T he cochlea converts vibrations into impulses

Impulses are carried by the auditory nerve to the brain

T he brain interprets it as sound

T he function of the nose:

Provides air for breathing

Filters and cleans foreign debris during respiration

As a sense of smell

T he structure and mechanism of the nose:

T he function of the tongue:

As a digestive organ with ease of movement of food during chewing and swallowing
 As a sense of taste

T he structure and mechanism of the tongue:

T he surface of the tongue is covered by taste buds that contain many taste receptors and are scattered on the surface of the tongue

T aste receptors are sensitive to chemicals in food

T he tongue has 5 types of taste receptors, namely sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (savory taste).

T he function of the skin:

Protect us from microbes

Allows sensations of touch, temperature, and pressure

As a sense of touch

T he structure of skin:

Skin sensitivity:
 T he concentration of the skin depends on the number of receptors present and the thickness of the epidermis

T he more receptors, the more sensitive that part of the skin is

T he thinner the epidermis, the more sensitive the skin is to stimuli

Blind people read Braille using their fingertips

Very sensitive parts of the skin Part of the skin that is less sensitive

Fingertips, back of neck, lips, and earlobes Elbows and knees

T he sensory organs are interconnected with each other and can balance the human body on a single daily basis

T he limit of sensory:

Limits our sensory ability to detect a stimulus

Caused by sensory organ defects or the aging process

T he visual sensory limitations:

T he eye cannot detect an image that falls on a blind spot

Human vision can also be affected due to farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia

T he structure of the normal eye, farsightedness, and nearsightedness:

 

Farsightedness cannot see distant objects clearly because light from the object is focused in front of the retina

Requires a concave lens

Nearsightedness cannot see near objects clearly because light from the object focuses behind the retina

Requires a convex lens

T he structure of the astigmatism eye:

 

Images are blurred and unclear because light from objects is separated and focused at different points on the retina

Requires a cylindrical lens or undergoes surgery

T he structure of the presbyopia eye:

 

Not being able to see distant objects and close objects clearly is common among the elderly

Requires a dual focus lens to see near and far objects clearly

Hearing sensory limitations:

Humans can only hear between 20Hz to 20,000Hz

Deafness is caused by the ossicle bones joining together due to infection, the aging process or exposure to loud noise for a long period
of time

Only surgery or hearing aids can help deaf people

T echnology to enhance the ability of sensory organs:

   T echnology Sensory organ capacity

Magnifying glass & microscope Can see art/small objects

Limitation of vision
Binoculars & telescopes Can see distant objects

Stethoscope Amplifies the sound of the heartbeat

Limitation of hearing
Loudspeaker  Amplifies the sound

1.3 Plant Stimulus and Response

Definition
Plants respond to touch, water, light, and gravity which are divided into two, namely the tropism response and the nastic response.

T ypes of tropism and reactions:

T ype of tropism Example

Phototropism
T he growth of sunflower shoots in the direction of sunlight
Growth of plant parts towards the light

Geotropism Root growth of red chili tree according to the direction of

Growth of plant parts towards gravity gravity

Hydrotropism
Growth of pandan tree roots in the direction of water
Growth of plant parts towards the water

T igmotropism
Cucumbers have suckers that twist an object that touches
T he movement of plant growth against touch or when in contact with an them
object

Nastic response:

Plants respond to touch, light, and heat

T he direction of the response does not depend on the direction of the stimulus

For example, the leaves of a semalu tree ( Mimosa pudica) are covered when touched

T he importance of each response:

Response Importance

Phototropism Helps shoots get sunlight for photosynthesis

Geotropism Helps the roots penetrate the soil to obtain water and the roots can grip the soil firmly

Hydrotropism Helps plant roots absorb water and mineral salts from the soil

T igmotropism Helps plants reach the highest position to get sunlight and maintain an upright position

Nastic movement Protects leaves from injury

1.4 The Importance of Responses to Stimuli in Other Animals

Definition
Animals have two types of vision, namely stereoscopic vision and monocular vision, in addition to having a different hearing frequency range
for each animal.

Differences between stereoscopic and monocular vision:

Stereoscopic vision Monocular vision

Both eyes are in front of the head One eye on each side of the head

Both eyes are used to see an object Only one eye is used to see an object
 A smaller field of vision Wider field of vision

Can estimate the position and distance of an object more accurately Inaccurate distance and position estimates

Examples: tigers, eagles, and bears Examples: deer, goats, and cows

 T he stereophonic hearing:

Hearing uses both sides of the ear

Helps determine the direction and location of sound

Animals Hearing frequency range (Hz)

Dogs 67 - 45,000

Mice 200 - 76,000

Dolphin 150 - 150,000

Bat 2,000 - 1,110,000

T he diversity of sensory organs and animal responses:

Sensory organs Response

Feathers
Has sharp and strong feathers on the body and will release thorns towards the enemy as a defense system
Hedgehog ( Hystrix
africaeaustralis)

Electric field

Electric fish ( Gymnarchus T he electrical organs in fish produce an electric field that can detect the direction of a nearby object or organism
niloticus)

Pheromone

Beetle ( Melolontha Male beetles use antennae to detect pheromones produced by female beetles to find breeding mates
melolontha)

Organ Jacobson
T his organ is located in the palate of the snake's mouth which can detect the odor that has accumulated on the
tongue and in turn detect enemies
Snake ( Vipera Crotalinae)

Lateral line
T he lateral lines on the body of the fish can detect changes in water pressure, detect prey, and aid movement
Fish

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