Perception and stone tools. An approach to past visual behaviour through lithic technology.

Abstract

Vision is the dominant source of sensory information in humans. It channels the relationships between the individual and the environment, including tools. Due to the fact that we receive a huge amount of information from our surroundings, it is essential to selectively focus the attention on some stimuli instead of others. The patterns of visual attention can be studied through eye-tracking technology, which consists of measuring eye position and movements. Taking into account the relevance of visual perception in the human genus, this technology can provide a useful approach to understand visual behaviour from an evolutionary perspective. In this sense, we developed a series of experimental studies involving different stone tool technologies and different scanning conditions. Our results showed that each lithic technology triggers a different visual strategy, which suggests that there are distinct attentional patterns involved in the interaction with these tools. Although tools have been interpreted as the output of the cognitive system, different disciplines have adopted an embodied cognition perspective, arguing that physical tools should be considered as a functional part of the cognitive network. Following this approach, archaeological remains would be an active element of cognition, and not mere products of the brain. Likewise, different sets of artefacts would represent different cognitive elements, which are susceptible to experimental studies