Getting a handle on it : a first step towards understanding the cognitive evolutionary processes underlying changes in the archaeological record that relate to Pliocene and Pleistocene hand-held tool and hafted tool technologies
The main aim of this project is to be able to describe the changes in cognitive ability that have to take place to enable a hominin group that was formerly only able to produce assemblages consisting of reductive or knapped hand-held stone tools, to become a group able to produce a mixed assemblage containing both reductive hand-held tools and also combinatorial hafted tools. Unlike reductive stone tools, hafted tools have pre-processed separate parts that are engineered to fit together to form a single object. Secondary project aims immediately became necessary to support this main aim. The first was to describe the two different groups of tools in a way that showed them as different stages of the same technological dynamic of change. The second was to describe how best to define the over-used word âcognitionâ in evolutionary terms. The third was to describe how such cognition might change over time in biological terms and also in terms of new cognitive and action potential. It was then necessary to analyse the different technologies included in the period of change considered between 3.3Mya to 0.03Mya, with particular emphasis on the transition between Early to Middle Stone Age and hafted technologies
Fairlie, J. E.
Getting a handle on it : a first step towards understanding the cognitive evolutionary processes underlying changes in the archaeological record that relate to Pliocene and Pleistocene hand-held tool and hafted tool technologies. The main aim of this project is to be able to describe the changes in cognitive ability that have to take place to enable a hominin group that was formerly only able to produce assemblages consisting of reductive or knapped hand-held stone tools, to become a group able to produce a mixed assemblage containing both reductive hand-held tools and also combinatorial hafted tools. Unlike reductive stone tools, hafted tools have pre-processed separate parts that are engineered to fit together to form a single object. Secondary project aims immediately became necessary to support this main aim. The first was to describe the two different groups of tools in a way that showed them as different stages of the same technological dynamic of change. The second was to describe how best to define the over-used word âcognitionâ in evolutionary terms. The third was to describe how such cognition might change over time in biological terms and also in terms of new cognitive and action potential. It was then necessary to analyse the different technologies included in the period of change considered between 3.3Mya to 0.03Mya, with particular emphasis on the transition between Early to Middle Stone Age and hafted technologies
getting handle first_step towards cognitive evolutionary_process underlie change archaeological_record relate pleistocene hand held tool hafted tool technology main_aim project able describe change cognitive_ability take_place enable hominin group formerly able produce assemblage consist reductive hand held stone_tool become group able produce mixed assemblage contain reductive hand held tool also hafted tool unlike reductive stone_tool hafted tools pre processed separate part engineer fit together_form single object secondary project_aim immediately become necessary support main_aim first_describe two_different group tool way show different_stage technological dynamic change second describe best define over used word cognition evolutionary term third describe cognition might change_time biological term also term new cognitive action potential necessary analyse different technology include period change consider particular_emphasis transition early middle stone_age hafted technology