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Don't ignore cognitive evolution during the three million years that preceded the archaeological record of material culture!
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 January 2025
Abstract
The target article rightly questions whether the archaeological record is useful for identifying sea changes in hominin cognitive abilities. This commentary suggests an alternative approach of synthesizing findings from primatology, evolutionary developmental biology, and paleoanthropology to formulate hypotheses about cognitive evolution in hominins that lived during the three million years that preceded the record of material culture (the Botanic Age).
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- Open Peer Commentary
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- Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press
References
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Target article
Reconsidering the link between past material culture and cognition in light of contemporary hunter–gatherer material use
Related commentaries (21)
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Don't ignore cognitive evolution during the three million years that preceded the archaeological record of material culture!
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Perishable material choice indicates symbolic and representational capacities
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Author response
Hominin cognition: The null hypothesis