Final answer:
The peripheral nervous system is responsible for sensation, integration, and motor responses, including both autonomic sensory and motor functions as well as voluntary control over skeletal muscles. The correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is responsible for feeling and autonomic sensory and motor functions. To specify, it can be divided functionally into two main parts: the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the sensory-somatic nervous system.
The ANS regulates involuntary control over internal organs, blood vessels, and smooth and cardiac muscles, encompassing functions for the fight-or-flight response and restful states via its sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.
On the other hand, the sensory-somatic nervous system manages the transmission of sensory information and motor commands between the central nervous system (CNS) and our muscles and sensory organs.
In essence, the PNS connects the CNS to the rest of the body, facilitating both conscious and unconscious control of bodily functions and responses to sensory input. This includes somatic functions like moving skeletal muscles and autonomic functions affecting cardiac or smooth muscle tissue and gland secretions.
Through both sensory and motor pathways, the PNS plays a crucial role in the basic functions of sensation, integration, and response. The correct option is A.