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Knowledge vs. know-how? Dissecting the foundations of stone knapping skill.

Justin Pargeter1, Nada Khreisheh2, John J Shea3

  • 1Department of Anthropology, New York University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Rock Art Research Institute, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Journal of Human Evolution
|June 3, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Stone toolmaking, specifically Late Acheulean handaxes, relies more on precise motor skills than theoretical knowledge. Experts excel by mastering speed-accuracy trade-offs for effective flake detachment.

Keywords:
AcheuleanExperimental archaeologyHandaxesPerceptual-motor foundationsSkill acquisitionSocial transmission

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Cognitive Archaeology
  • Experimental Archaeology

Background:

  • Stone tools are key evidence for behavioral evolution, yet their cognitive underpinnings are unclear.
  • Understanding stone toolmaking requires assessing cognitive and perceptual-motor skills.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the importance of technological understanding versus action execution in Late Acheulean handaxe production.
  • To investigate the cognitive and perceptual-motor foundations of stone knapping skills.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a flake prediction paradigm within a longitudinal study of knapping skill acquisition.
  • Analyzed predictions from novices and experts using group and individual statistical analyses with predictive modeling.

Main Results:

  • Predicting flaking outcomes in stone toolmaking is more difficult and less crucial than previously thought.
  • Perceptual-motor skills, managing speed-accuracy trade-offs for flake detachment, are critical.
  • Novices improve with practice by targeting specific flake types, but only experts replicate Late Acheulean handaxe quality.

Conclusions:

  • Accurate action execution, involving biomechanical and sensorimotor control, was likely a significant factor in Late Acheulean hominin evolution.
  • Deliberate practice and associated cognitive traits were probably under selection pressure for toolmaking aptitude.