Inferential Sets and Descriptive Versus Evaluative Aspects of Behavioral Inference.

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Selby
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Inference

Trampling the Archaeological Record: An Experimental Study

1991 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel E. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Horizontal Displacement ◽  
Vertical Displacement ◽  
Characteristic Size ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Horizontal Size ◽  
Size Sorting ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
Empirical Generalizations ◽  
Behavioral Inference

This paper reports on several experiments carried out to explore the transformations of the archaeological record affected by trampling. These transformations include changes in artifact distributions and formal alterations that should be taken into account when carrying out studies of activity areas. The experiments were made on dry, hard-packed surfaces and in the same sediments after a rain. The materials used were bones, obsidian flakes, sherds, and fragments of brick and wood. The analysis focuses on vertical displacement, horizontal displacement, and damage (breakage, microflaking, and abrasion), paying special attention to the response of the trodden substrate and its implications for the whole process. The interaction of trampling with other formation processes (e.g., maintenance) also is considered. The main patterns observed in the trampled materials are vertical and horizontal size sorting, and characteristic size distributions in sherds. These empirical generalizations are then integrated in a model that can help to identify trampled contexts and assess their potential for behavioral inference.

scholarly journals Assessing human weaning practices with calcium isotopes in tooth enamel

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (24) ◽  
pp. 6268-6273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Théo Tacail ◽  
Béatrice Thivichon-Prince ◽  
Jeremy E. Martin ◽  
Cyril Charles ◽  
Laurent Viriot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tooth Enamel ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Deciduous Teeth ◽  
Third Molars ◽  
Calcium Isotopes ◽  
In Utero Development ◽  
Past Population ◽  
Behavioral Inference

Weaning practices differ among great apes and likely diverged during the course of human evolution, but behavioral inference from the fossil record is hampered by a lack of unambiguous biomarkers. Here, we show that early-life dietary transitions are recorded in human deciduous tooth enamel as marked variations in Ca isotope ratios (δ44/42Ca). Using a sequential microsampling method along the enamel growth axis, we collected more than 150 enamel microsamples from 51 deciduous teeth of 12 different modern human individuals of known dietary histories, as well as nine enamel samples from permanent third molars. We measured and reconstructed the evolution of 44Ca/42Ca ratios in enamel from in utero development to first months of postnatal development. We show that the observed variations of δ44/42Ca record a transition from placental nutrition to an adult-like diet and that Ca isotopes reflect the duration of the breastfeeding period experienced by each infant. Typically, the δ44/42Ca values of individuals briefly or not breastfed show a systematic increase during the first 5–10 mo, whereas individuals with long breastfeeding histories display no measurable variation in δ44/42Ca of enamel formed during this time. The use of Ca isotope analysis in tooth enamel allows microsampling and offers an independent approach to tackle challenging questions related to past population dynamics and evolution of weaning practices in hominins.

Toward the Identification of Formation Processes

1983 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 675-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Schiffer
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Analytical Strategies ◽  
Research Endeavor ◽  
Behavioral Inference ◽  
Vertebrate Taphonomy

Research in experimental archaeology, ethnoarchaeology, geoarchaeology, and vertebrate taphonomy has appreciably increased our general understanding of the formation processes—cultural and natural—of archaeological sites. In synthesizing some of these recent advances, this paper focuses on the traces of artifacts and characteristics of deposits that can be used to identify the formation processes of specific deposits. These observational phenomena are grouped into three basic categories that structure the presentation: (1) simple properties of artifacts, (2) complex properties of artifacts, and (3) other properties of deposits. Also considered is the way in which prior knowledge can help the archaeologist to cope with the large number of processes and the nearly infinite combination of them that may have contributed to the specific deposits of interest. Several analytical strategies are proposed: (1) hypothesis testing, (2) multivariate analysis, and (3) use of published data to evaluate formation processes. This paper demonstrates that the identification of formation processes, which must precede behavioral inference and be accomplished by any research endeavor that uses evidence from the archaeological record, can become practical and routine.

scholarly journals Behavioral Inference of Diving Metabolic Rate in Free‐Ranging Leatherback Turtles

2007 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey J. A. Bradshaw ◽  
Clive R. McMahon ◽  
Graeme C. Hays
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Leatherback Turtles ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Behavioral Inference

Behavioral inference based on hippocampal multi-neuronal activities of rats

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. S160
Author(s):  
Masaki Nomura ◽  
Yoshio Sakurai ◽  
Toshio Aoyagi
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Inference
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