Neurocognitive Plasticity: How Real-World Expertise Shapes Learning and Memory

How does our accumulated knowledge and experience shape the way we perceive, learn, and remember? My research explores this question through the lens of expertise, focusing on the architecture of cognitive and neural representations. In this talk, I will discuss: 1) work with expert birdwatchers, examining how concept abstraction influences different aspects of memory 2) new approaches to quantifying variation in conceptual knowledge by connecting cognitive measures with ecological data in a large online study 3) neuroimaging research examining how expertise changes brain microstructure and alters the trajectory of new learning, allowing for the rapid incorporation of new concepts into existing cortical networks. I hope to highlight the power of real-world expertise in addressing fundamental neurocognitive questions, demonstrate how citizen science can play a role in psychological research, and suggest ways that prior knowledge might support memory function throughout the lifespan.