8th Grade Living Environment

Mr. Arditoʼs Classes

Lab Activity: Learning about Learning

Objective:
To investigate how we get information from the outside world and what we do with it.

Overview:
The purpose of our nervous system (mostly the brain and spinal cord and nerves) is to
allow us to respond to changes in the internal and external environments.

These responses will be based on the amount and kinds of information we receive
about the outside and inside worlds.

In this lab, we will investigate how we get information from the outside world and what
we do.

The lab has three parts.

Part 1: Reaction Time

Reaction Time is the measure of how long it takes you to respond to something.

In this activity, you will determine a baseline for your reaction time to a simple task and
then invent a procedure to slow time reaction time.

Procedure:
Round 1 --
1. You will work with a partner.
2. One person will be the dropper; the other will be the catcher.
3. The dropper will drop an object (like a lab notebook) 10 times. The catcher will try to
catch the object using two hands.
4. You and your partner will create a data table to keep track of the catches and drops.
5. Each of you will take a turn dropping and catching.

Round 2 --
1. You and your partner will brainstorm ways that you think would slow down reaction
time.
2. You and your partner will agree on one way and then repeat the procedure above and
keep track of the catches and drops.

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Data:
You will attach a set of bar graphs to this packet. The bar graphs will demonstrate the
drops and catches for one scenario. You will complete one for each trial you did.
For example, you would do one bar graph for: Person A, 2-handed catch, straight
catching.

Analysis and Conclusion:

1. What did you learn about the things that effect reaction time?

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2. Did any of the things you tried slow down reaction time? Why do you think this
happened?

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3. Do you think that practice changes the reaction time for something? How do you think
it would change reaction time -- by speeding it up or slowing it down?

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Part 2: Mapping the Homunculus (Toothpick Lab)

A long time again, some people believed that inside you and I there was a little person
(homunculus) which controlled us.

In this activity, you will measure the smallest distance between nerve receptors in your
skin in various places.

Procedure:
1. You will work with a partner.
2. One of you will be the sticker one will be the stickee (subject).
3. The sticker will use two toothpicks to test the distance between sensory nerves in
your skin.
4. When the stickee has indicated that they can no longer feel two toothpicks in a given
area, the sticker will measure that distance in millimeters and record it in a data table.
5. You and your partner will test this distance for each body area indicated on the data
table.

Data:
You will attach the data table you completed in class as well as the drawing you and
your partner made.

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Analysis and Conclusion:

1. Why do you think that the nerve receptors in your skin are NOT evenly distributed?

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2. Why are there more of them in the places where there are more of then and less

where there are less?

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 Part 3: Hot and Cold

There are receptors (nerves) in our skin which allow us to experience temperature.
In this activity, you will investigate whether we get reliable information from our senses.

Procedure:
1. Your lab table will be set up with three containers of water.
2. One container will have hot water; another will have ice cold water; another will have
room temperature water.
3. The teacher will take the temperature of the water and keep provide this data later in
the activity.
4. When instructed, you will place one hand in the hot water and one in the ice cold
water simultaneously. You will keep the hands in the water for approximately one
minute.
5. When instructed to switch, you will place both hands in the container of room
temperature water.
6. You will record any observations you have.

Data:

Water pan Temperature (in degrees Observations (what

Celsius) temperature the water
“felt” it was)

Cold Water

Room Temperature Water

Hot Water

Analysis and Conclusion:

1. Did the cold water “feel” as cold as its temperature?

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2. Did the hot water “feel” as hot as its temperature?

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3. Did the room temperature water “feel” the same in each hand? Describe what you
felt?

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4. Based on what you observed in #3, what does this lab tell you about how the nervous
system works?

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5. What is the difference between the thermometer and your nervous system, in terms
of how they measure temperature?

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 Overall Analysis and Conclusions:

1. What did you learn from these labs about how learning takes place? What effects
learning?

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