Final answer:
Somatic reflexes only involve the voluntary control of skeletal muscles, not smooth or cardiac muscles, which are regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that somatic reflexes are responses of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles is false. Somatic reflexes involve only the voluntary control of skeletal muscles. The autonomic nervous system, not the somatic nervous system, regulates the involuntary control of smooth and cardiac muscles, as well as glandular tissues.
Understanding the difference is crucial because the somatic and autonomic systems have distinct pathways and target different effector tissues. In the case of somatic reflexes, the pathway involves a direct connection from the ventral horn of the spinal cord to the skeletal muscle, facilitating rapid contraction. Conversely, autonomic reflexes, also known as visceral reflexes, include a two-step pathway involving ganglia that ultimately target cardiac and smooth muscle or glands.