Final answer:
The inflation (Hering-Breuer) reflex is a protective mechanism against lung over-inflation and is not dangerous. The diaphragm can contract under both conscious and involuntary control. Hypoventilating is characterized by slow and deep breathing, not fast and shallow breathing.
Step-by-step explanation:
False. The inflation (Hering-Breuer) reflex is not a potentially dangerous response that may cause over-inflation of the lung. Instead, it is a protective mechanism that prevents over-inflation of the lungs by inhibiting the inspiratory neurons in the medulla, thereby terminating inspiration. It is activated when the lungs are inflated to a threshold volume.
The diaphragm can indeed contract due to conscious control as well as involuntarily through the autonomic nervous system. This is why we can control our breathing when we swim or when practicing breathing exercises, but it also functions without our conscious effort while we sleep or are otherwise not thinking about breathing.
Hypoventilating is not breathing that is fast and shallow; it is actually slow and deep breathing that results in elevated carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Fast and shallow breathing is referred to as hyperventilating.