What does the somatic nervous system involve besides voluntary muscle control?

The somatic nervous system primarily governs voluntary muscle control, allowing individuals to consciously control skeletal muscles. However, it also includes the function of reflex movements. Reflexes are automatic responses to specific stimuli that don't require direct involvement of the brain for processing; instead, they are mediated through the spinal cord. This mechanism enables a quicker reaction to events, such as pulling your hand away from a hot surface, demonstrating the somatic nervous system's role in facilitating rapid, protective responses in addition to its primary function of voluntary muscle control.

The other options involve functions that are associated with different systems. For example, regulation of heart rate is primarily managed by the autonomic nervous system, which operates involuntarily. Processing predictions relates more to cognitive functions involving the brain rather than the somatic control of muscles. Coordination of balance, while important, is primarily regulated by the vestibular and cerebellar systems, which also falls outside the scope of the somatic nervous system’s main focus on voluntary movements and reflex actions.