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Planning Assignment Worksheet & Grading

Andrei Tolins

Developing a Hypothesis

Decide on an experiment that you would like to do and write a hypothesis that states the predicted outcome of your experiment. Remember: This should be something that you can alternate 1-minute without stimulus and 1-minute with stimulus. There are examples later in this document.

Hypothesis: Loud music will lead to an increased heart rate.

What is your independent variable (what will you study/manipulate)?

Independent variable: presence or absence of loud music

What is your dependent variable (which data will you measure)?

Dependent variable: heart rate

Reflex Loop for the Hypothesis

What are the body processes that will stimulate the response you predicted? Fill in the reflex loop. There are examples later in this document.

· Stimulus: Loud music will trigger the sympathetic nervous system resulting in, among other things, an increased heart rate.

· Receptor/Sensor: Receptor cells in cochlea

· Input/Afferent pathway: Vestibulocochlear nerve

· Integrating center: Brain

· Output/Efferent pathway: sympathetic neurons

· Effector/target: Heart

· Predicted response: increased heart rate

Rationale for the Hypothesis

Your hypothesis is based on some prior knowledge or experience. A rationale is the reasoning behind your predicted result, based on what we know about the physiology of the body. The change you predict is the response of the body to the independent variable you will manipulate. This is a physiological response that acts through a reflex loop. There are examples later in this document. In your answer, include:

(1) which previous knowledge or experience led you to this prediction? (for the last experiment of the semester, you need to include the previous experiment you are improving or expanding)

(2) how does your manipulated variable connect to the physiological mechanism you think will lead to your predicted response? (hint: include some parts of a reflex loop)

(3) include in-text and list APA citations for the physiological mechanism (see posted APA guide)

Rationale: Sudden loud music will trigger the sympathetic nervous response, resulting in increased heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure. As we discussed in the reflex loop worksheet, seeing or hearing a tiger will trigger the sympathetic nervous response. This response will be functionally identical if we replace the tiger with sudden loud music.

Publishing, H. H. (2018, June). Tuning in: How music may affect your heart. Retrieved September 2020, from https://www.health.hervard.edu/heart-health/tuning-in-how-music-may-affect-your-heart