Question

Yawning is a reflexive action that is often associated with sleepiness. When a person yawns, the mouth opens, and a longer than normal breath of air is inhaled, followed by a longer than normal exhalation. Hypothesizing that yawning has a regulatory mechanism similar to breathing, scientists conducted an experiment on college students to test the effect of ambient carbon dioxide levels on yawning. If yawning has a regulatory mechanism similar to breathing, then which of the following is TRUE?

a. People adapted to lower altitudes should yawn the same amount when they are at high altitudes.
b. Athletes who have trained at high altitudes should inhale a greater volume of air when yawning compared to those who have trained only at low altitudes.
c. Tibetan mountaineers yawn more when they are walking compared to when they are standing still.
d. Athletes should yawn more when exercising compared to when they are not exercising.

Answer 1

If yawning is regulated similarly to breathing, athletes would likely yawn more during exercise to increase oxygen intake and regulate carbon dioxide levels, making option 'd' the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Yawning and its relation to regulatory mechanisms similar to breathing can be an intriguing concept to study. If yawning is indeed regulated like breathing, then the correct statement in response to the given experiment would be: Athletes should yawn more when exercising compared to when they are not exercising.

This can be deduced from the understanding that exercise increases ventilation to meet the body's increased oxygen demand, and since yawning could be a mechanism to regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood, we can infer that yawning would be more prevalent during activities that require more oxygen, such as exercise.

Hence, answer 'd' is the most likely to be TRUE if the hypothesis about yawning and breathing regulation holds.

Answer 2

Option D

Step-by-step explanation:

Yawning is basically driven by serotonin which is neurotransmitter that regulates temperature or it is the thermoregulator.

When the temperature rises, the serotonin level increases which triggers yawning in order to cool down the temperature.

Thus, Athletes should yawn more when exercising compared to when they are not exercising because while exercising the body temperature increases.

Hence, option D is correct