Exploring the cognitive underpinnings of early hominin stone tool use through an experimental EEG approach.

ABSTRACT: Technological innovation has been crucial in the evolution of our lineage, with tool use and production linked to complex cognitive processes. While previous research has examined the cognitive demands of early stone toolmaking, the neurocognitive aspects of early hominin tool use remain largely underexplored. This study relies on electroencephalography to investigate brain activation patterns associated with two distinct early hominin tool-using behaviors: forceful hammerstone percussion, practiced by both humans and non-human primates and linked to the earliest proposed stone tool industries, and precise flake cutting, an exclusive hominin behavior typically associated with the Oldowan. Our results show increased engagement of the frontoparietal regions during both tasks. Furthermore, we

SUBMITTER: Affinito S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11576949 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature