Parasympathetic responses try to do the ______ of sympathetic responses.

Parasympathetic responses try to do the ______ of sympathetic responses.

• A. Opposite
• B. Same Direction
• C. Amplification
• D. No Effect

Answer: (A)

The two divisions of the autonomic nervous system usually oppose each other to keep body functions balanced. Parasympathetic responses counteract sympathetic actions rather than reinforce them. For example, when the sympathetic system raises heart rate and dilates pupils, the parasympathetic system lowers heart rate and constricts pupils, and it also promotes digestion instead of inhibiting it. So the parasympathetic system is aiming to do the opposite of what the sympathetic system does. The other options don’t fit because they would imply either reinforcing the same effect (same direction), increasing the effect (amplification), or producing no effect, none of which describe how the parasympathetic system typically works relative to the sympathetic system.

The two divisions of the autonomic nervous system usually oppose each other to keep body functions balanced. Parasympathetic responses counteract sympathetic actions rather than reinforce them. For example, when the sympathetic system raises heart rate and dilates pupils, the parasympathetic system lowers heart rate and constricts pupils, and it also promotes digestion instead of inhibiting it. So the parasympathetic system is aiming to do the opposite of what the sympathetic system does. The other options don’t fit because they would imply either reinforcing the same effect (same direction), increasing the effect (amplification), or producing no effect, none of which describe how the parasympathetic system typically works relative to the sympathetic system.