Experiment+4+-+Actions+vs.+Reactions

__Actions and Reactions __ [[image:reaction.JPG width="240" height="180" align="right"]]
Actions and Reactions of mealworms to various stimuli (touched, dropped, light, blowing air, smell)

//** Hypothesis: **// A. Mealworms will move away when touched. B. Mealworms will try to get away when held in the air before they are dropped. C. Mealworms will shy away from direct light. D. Mealworms will move away from the direct stream of air. E. Mealworms will move away when they smell the vanilla.

**//Prediction://** A. Mealworms do not like being touched and will curl up when touched with a toothpick. B. Mealworms will try to move away from the stream of air because they like being hidden. C. Mealworms seem to prefer the dark over the light so they will try to get away from the direct light to a dark place. D. Mealworms will try to move away from the stream of air because they will be uncomfortable due to the concentrated air. E. Mealworms will move away from the vanilla due to its strong smell and wetness.

**//Materials://** A. Toothpick C. Flashlight D. Straw E. Vanilla, cloth

**//Procedure://** A. The mealworms were touched on their antennas with a toothpick. We also placed the toothpick closely in front of the mealworms head. B. The mealworms were held in the air for thirty seconds. They were then dropped from a distance of 10cm. C. The flashlight was used to shine light directly on the mealworms head. D. Using a straw, a stream of air was blown on the mealworm’s head. This test was done on four mealworms. E. A papertowel was soaked with vanilla then placed directly in front of the face of the mealworm.

**//Controlled variables://** A. Toothpicks B. Person holding the mealworm in the air for 30 seconds. C. Flashlight D. Straw E. Papertowel, vanilla

**//Responding Variables://** Behavior of the mealworms (how they reacted to the various stimuli and in what way)

**//Manipulated variable://** A. Touched by toothpick B. Dropped (time held in the air and distance at which they were dropped) C. Light from the flashlight D. Air stream E. Vanilla.

**//Observations://** A. The mealworms did no like being touched by a toothpick. They lifted their front legs, and tried to move in the opposite direction/ B. After dropping the mealworms on to the pie plate, we did not observe any changes. C. The mealworms tried to move out of the light when we shined a flashlight on them. D. The mealworms lifted their front legs, and tried to move out of the air stream. E. The mealworms did not pay any attention to the vanilla abstract.

**//Conclusions/comments//**:

A. We have concluded that mealworms do not like being touched by a sharp object. B. The mealworms seem to have no reaction to being dropped on to a pie plate. C. Mealworms prefer to be in dark, and try to avoid being in direct light. D. The mealworms reacted to the air stream and we conclude that they do not like having air blown on them. E. Vanilla abstract does not affect the mealworms.