Tag: Poster 128

What’s in the Box: Using a Comparative Collection to Identify Mystery Avian Bones

Presenter(s): Amelia Delgado − Biological Anthropology

Faculty Mentor(s): Frances White, Madonna Moss

Poster 128

Research Area: Social Science

The UO Primate Osteology Lab had an unmarked collection of bird bones in need of identification. The bones, which were associated with an Excel database, were found to be a project begun by a past graduate student, Brendon Culleton. Many of the bones were labeled with a number and where they were found, however a majority lacked identifications to genus. All bones were collected between 1997 and 1999 from California State Parks such as: Waddell Creek Beach, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Natural Bridges State Beach, Nisene Marks State Forest, Moss Landing State Beach, Point Lobos Reserve, and Zmudowski State Beach.

For this collection, I worked with Madonna Moss in the Zooarchaeology Lab to learn basic bird anatomy and how to identify the bones with the use of the lab’s avian comparative collection. Learning these skills allowed me to gain experience in curating a researchable collection. This collection was found to include humeri, femora, carpometacarpi and other specialized bird bones, which I identified to genus and organized into an Excel database for future use. Identifications revealed that there were at least 12 species of coastal birds such as scoters, gulls, and western grebes present in the box. Upon completion of this project, this avian bone collection can be utilized for potential teaching aspects of fundamental anatomy of coastal birds.

Behavioral and Neural Predictors of Individual Differences in Concept Generalization

Presenter(s): Takako Iwashita

Faculty Mentor(s): Dasa Zeithamova & Caitlin Bowman

Poster 128

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

Concept learning involves linking related pieces of information to a shared label, like learning that furry creatures that bark are called ‘dogs.’ People vary is how well they learn concepts and apply them to new situations (generalization). What factors drive these individual differences? In the present study, we tested whether stable aspects of intelligence or transient activations in the brain best predicted concept generalization abilities. To measure aspects of intelligence, subjects underwent an assessment that included measures of working memory, processing speed, perceptual reasoning, and verbal comprehension, which could be combined into an overall IQ. Subjects also completed a concept generalization task while undergoing fMRI, allowing us to measure activations in brain regions that are part of the explicit rule-learning system (hippocampus, prefrontal cortex) or part of an implicit system that learns without awareness (caudate, posterior visual cortex). To elucidate the shared or dissociable roles of behavioral and neural predictors in concept generalization, we tested the relationship between accuracy in concept generalization and individual differences in measures of intelligence and activation in each brain region of interest. Behaviorally, we found that overall IQ, but not its subcomponents, predicted concept generalization abilities. Neurally, we found that only the activation in the hippocampus predicted concept generalization abilities. Finally, we found that IQ and hippocampal activation each predicted concept generalization above-and-beyond each other. These results show dissociable contributions of behavioral and neural predictors of concept generalization, suggesting that both stable cognitive abilities and transient brain states influence the ability to learn new concepts.