Final answer:
The statement is false, as negative feedback loops reduce rather than amplify deviations from a set point to maintain homeostasis. These control mechanisms contrast with positive feedback loops, which push the system further away from its normal state.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that negative feedback loops amplify changes to the set point of a system is false. These loops actually serve to reduce deviations from a set point, helping to maintain a stable internal environment, or homeostasis. When a variable strays from its normal range, a negative feedback loop will initiate a response that brings the variable back toward the set point. For example, if blood sugar levels rise after eating, insulin is released to lower the glucose in the blood, thus maintaining homeostasis.
Conversely, positive feedback loops push the organism further away from homeostasis by amplifying changes. This is seen in processes such as childbirth, where contractions become stronger in response to oxytocin, driving the system toward a new state, or in the case of blood clotting where each step in the process enhances the next to quickly seal a wound.
Therefore, the negative feedback loop is a critical control mechanism that keeps various physiological variables within their normal ranges, and prevents extreme deviations from these set points, which could lead to dysregulation and disease.