Kid Knapping: Developmental and Individual Differences in How Children and Adults Learn to Make Stone Tools Open Access
Beney Kilgore, Megan (Fall 2023)
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the cognitive, motor, and personality differences in how children and adults learn how to make least effort, Oldowan-style technology in an experimental stone toolmaking task. Child participants (N = 19, ages 8 – 13 years, mean = 9.3 years) were recruited in collaboration with the Tellus Science Museum (Cartersville, GA) as a part of the organization’s summer educational programming. In addition to their optional participation in the dissertation study, children engaged in science education outreach activities that explored the discipline of archaeology and took advantage of the museum’s curated galleries and classroom resources. Adult participants (N = 30, ages 18 – 38 years, mean = 20.3 years) were recruited to the Paleolithic Technology Laboratory at Emory University (Atlanta, GA). All participants, regardless of age, were asked to complete five consecutive days of stone toolmaking training in 30-minute sessions, for a total of 2.5 hours of practice. Participant group sizes varied from one-on-one to groups of up to five, depending on participant availability. All participants also took a series of psychometric and motor testing related to grip strength ability, executive functioning, motor control and coordination, and personality. Measurements taken on the cores and lithic debitage yielded three PCA factors, interpreted as the knapper skill outcome variables Quantity, Quality, and Flaking Inefficiency. Results indicate that adults routinely outperformed children both in psychometric and motor performance and in knapper skill outcomes. However, adult male participants distinguished themselves from all other participant subgroups (i.e. adult females and male and female children) in that they produced lithics of the best Quality, a result that may be tied to their superior grip strength. These findings contribute to the broader literature on experimental archaeology and provide a unique developmental perspective on stone toolmaking skill acquisition.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND THEORY 1
INTRODUCTION 1
HOMININ EVOLUTION AND THE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN MIND 3
Behavior, Grounded Cognition, and Language 5
Behavior as an Evolutionary Agent 5
Grounded Cognition, Affordances, and the Interconnectedness of Brain, Body, Behavior, and Environment 6
Embodied Language and Sound Symbolism 7
Summary 9
Stone Toolmaking and the Evolution of Cognition and Language 9
Early Stone Industries 9
Methods for Studying Ancient Cognition in Toolmaking 11
Technological Origins of Language Hypothesis and Cumulative Culture 15
Ethnography of Stone Toolmaking 17
HISTORY OF EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF STONE TOOLMAKING 19
Trends in Participant Recruitment and Demographics 20
Identifying Novice Knappers in Archaeological Assemblages 23
SKILL ACQUISITION AND STONE TOOLMAKING 25
CHILDHOOD: EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT 29
Hominin Life History and the Evolution of Childhood 29
Motor Development 30
Cognitive Development and Theory of Mind 32
STONE KNAPPING: COMPARING ADULTS AND CHILDREN, EXPECTED OUTCOMES 37
WORKS CITED 40
CHAPTER 2: METHODS AND RESULTS 62
METHODS 62
Participant Recruitment, Informed Consent, and Compensation 62
Core Material, Preparation, and Selection 63
Hammerstone Material and Selection 66
Training Session Setup, Knapping Instructions, and Procedures 66
Lithic Analysis 69
Psychometric and Motor Testing 72
RESULTS 74
Lithics 74
Knapping Skill Metrics: Quantity, Quality, and Flaking Inefficiency 74
Calculating and Defining Variables 74
Group-Level Differences of Knapper Skill 79
Learning Effects 84
Core Size and Shape 102
Psychometric and Motor Testing 105
Grip Strength 106
Group-Based Differences 106
Correlation with Knapper Skill 109
Mental Rotation Task (MRT) 112
Group-Based Differences 112
Correlation with Knapper Skill 115
Fitts’ Law Test (FLT) 118
Group-Based Differences 118
Correlation with Knapper Skill 122
Stroop Raw Color-Word Test 128
Group-Based Differences 128
Correlation with Knapper Skill 128
Big Five Inventory (BFI) 130
Group-Based Differences 130
Correlation with Knapper Skill 132
Stepwise Regressions 142
WORKS CITED 145
CHAPTER 3: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 148
DISCUSSION 148
Knapper Outcomes: The Effects of Motor and Cognitive Ability and Personality on Quantity, Quality, and Flaking Inefficiency 150
Motor Ability 150
Cognition 155
Personality 158
Summary 160
Learning Effects 162
Broader Implications 169
Limitations 173
CONCLUSION 174
On collaborations and Science Education Outreach 175
Future Directions 176
Final Remarks 177
WORKS CITED 178
About this Dissertation
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