Memory for animal tracks: a possible cognitive artifact of human evolution.
Although many human behaviors are held to have adaptive significance, specific examples of behaviors that represent direct holdovers from the ancient world have been few, particularly in the cognitive realm. In the present research, the authors tested the hypothesis that such cognitive examples migh...
| Publicado en: | Journal of Psychology Vol. 136; no. 5; pp. 469 - 493 |
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| Autores principales: | , , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
September 2002
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=510248911&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 510248911 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00223980 JPY jtl: Journal of Psychology issn: 00223980 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: September 2002 vid: 136 iid: 5 pid: 58221 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 510248911 10.1080/00223980209605545 ppf: 469 ppct: 24 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 1.3MB tig: atl: Memory for animal tracks: a possible cognitive artifact of human evolution. aug: au: Sharps, Matthew J. Villegas, Amy Boothby Nunes, Michael A. su: Memory Visual perception Genetic psychology Cognitive development sug: subj: Memory Visual perception Genetic psychology Cognitive development ab: Although many human behaviors are held to have adaptive significance, specific examples of behaviors that represent direct holdovers from the ancient world have been few, particularly in the cognitive realm. In the present research, the authors tested the hypothesis that such cognitive examples might in fact exist and be experimentally verifiable. They suggested that human predispositions to learn basic aspects of hunting with relative ease might be “left over” from human evolution in the pre-agricultural past. This hypothesis was tested in 3 experiments with reference to the learning and recall of animal tracks, an activity of probable high adaptive significance within the area of visual memory. Undergraduate students selected at random learned and recalled animal tracks with significantly greater ease than they recalled other animate and inanimate items. A single exception lay in relatively unfamiliar kitchen implements, which were recalled with greater facility than were animal tracks, consistent with current theoretical considerations. Results indicate that direct behavioral holdovers from the ancient world may exist in the cognitive realm and that these may be accessed experimentally and predictably under appropriate conditions. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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