Kid Knapping: Developmental and Individual Differences in How Children and Adults Learn to Make Stone Tools Público

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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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Anthropology
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Anthropology, Physical Anthropology, Archaeology
Palavra-chave	Developmental Individual differences Oldowan Stone tools
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dietrich Stout, Emory University
Committee Members	Melvin Konner, Emory University Lynne Nygaard, Emory University

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