Video Transcript
Why is it beneficial that reflex
actions do not require thinking?
This question is asking about
reflexes, so let’s review what we need to know about these actions to answer the
question correctly. To start off with, we will look at
some key terminology.
A reflex is a response to a
stimulus that occurs without the need for conscious thought. A stimulus is any change in the
internal or external environment that can influence the organism’s activity, such as
change in light intensity or blood–water concentration. And a response is a change in the
body that occurs as a reaction to a stimulus, such as change in pupil size or urine
production.
We have reflex actions to help
prevent injury to our bodies, so it is important that they occur quickly and
involuntarily. For example, if you were to put
your hand onto something hot, it would immediately jerk away without you having to
think about it or make a conscious decision to move it. This quick action helps to avoid
your hand from being badly burnt in this scenario. If you had to think about this
action first, then it would not occur as quickly, which would mean that your hand
would still be touching the hot object as your brain processes the information and
makes a decision.
For this reason, most reflex arcs
initially bypass the brain and instead are quickly processed through the spinal cord
within the central nervous system. Without having to think about the
situation before reacting, our bodies are able to act faster and save precious
moments, which could prevent more serious injuries from happening.
So from this information, we can
come up with the correct answer to the question. It is beneficial that reflex
actions do not require thinking because signals are not passed to the brain,
allowing the body to respond more quickly.
