Sensation and Perception Vestibular Sense. This lab involves physical activity –

Question

Sensation and Perception

Vestibular Sense. This lab involves physical activity – you are responsible for determining if you are capable of doing the actions yourself or asking someone to do them in your place and then observing/discussing the results to answer the questions below. Make sure you take a break between each question so you can return to a neutral position / level of activity.

4. Spin around in a circle 5 times, then stand on one leg with your eyes closed. How long could you do it? What happened? What is going on with the senses to cause this reaction?

Explanation / Answer

After doing the mentioned exercise, standing on one leg was only possible for a few seconds.

This is because it was difficult to balance the body on one leg. The leg which was elevated, was constantly reaching for the floor, trying to prevent the body from falling down. Also, the head was feeling slightly dizzy after spinning five times.

Vestibular sense is responsible for awareness of body balance and movement. It arises in the inner ear and the sense organs are the hair cells. Movement of fluid in the three semicircular canals of the inner ear, stimulates hair cells which sends information to the brain regarding the speed and direction of body rotation. Also, the two vestibular sacs that are located between the semicircular canal and cochlea in either ears, are responsible for the gravitation and movement sensations. Therefore, it was difficult to stand on one leg due to excessive stimulation of the vestibular organs.

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