Early Evolution Of Human Memory: Great Apes, Tool-making, And Cognition
by Michael J. Walker /
2017 / English / PDF
2.5 MB Download
This work examines the cognitive capacity of great apes in order to
better understand early man and the importance of memory in the
evolutionary process. It synthesizes research from comparative
cognition, neuroscience, primatology as well as lithic archaeology,
reviewing findings on the cognitive ability of great apes to
recognize the physical properties of an object and then determine
the most effective way in which to manipulate it as a tool to
achieve a specific goal. The authors argue that apes (Hominoidea)
lack the human cognitive ability of imagining how to blend reality,
which requires drawing on memory in order to envisage alternative
future situations, and thereby modifying behavior determined by
procedural memory. This book reviews neuroscientific findings on
short-term working memory, long-term procedural memory, prospective
memory, and imaginative forward thinking in relation to manual
behavior. Since the manipulation of objects by Hominoidea in the
wild (particularly in order to obtain food) is regarded as
underlying the evolution of behavior in early Hominids, contrasts
are highlighted between the former and the latter, especially the
cognitive implications of ancient stone-tool preparation.
This work examines the cognitive capacity of great apes in order to
better understand early man and the importance of memory in the
evolutionary process. It synthesizes research from comparative
cognition, neuroscience, primatology as well as lithic archaeology,
reviewing findings on the cognitive ability of great apes to
recognize the physical properties of an object and then determine
the most effective way in which to manipulate it as a tool to
achieve a specific goal. The authors argue that apes (Hominoidea)
lack the human cognitive ability of imagining how to blend reality,
which requires drawing on memory in order to envisage alternative
future situations, and thereby modifying behavior determined by
procedural memory. This book reviews neuroscientific findings on
short-term working memory, long-term procedural memory, prospective
memory, and imaginative forward thinking in relation to manual
behavior. Since the manipulation of objects by Hominoidea in the
wild (particularly in order to obtain food) is regarded as
underlying the evolution of behavior in early Hominids, contrasts
are highlighted between the former and the latter, especially the
cognitive implications of ancient stone-tool preparation.