Cognition And Tool Use: Forms Of Engagement In Human And Animal Use Of Tools

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The ability to use tools is a distinguishing feature of human beings. It represents a complex psychomotor activity that we are only now beginning to comprehend. Robust new theoretical accounts allow us to better understand how people use tools and explain differences in human and animal tool use from the perspective of cognitive science.Our understanding needs to be grounded upon research into how people use tools, which draws upon many disciplines, from ergonomics to anthropology to cognitive science to neuropsychology. Cognition and Tool Use: Forms of Engagement in Human and Animal Use of Tools presents a single coherent account of human tool use as a complex psychomotor activity. It explains how people use tools and how this activity can succeed or fail, then describes the design and development of usable tools. This book considers contemporary tool use in domains such as surgery, and considers future developments in human-computer interfaces, such as haptic virtual reality and tangible user interfaces.No other single text brings together the research from the different disciplines, ranging from archaeology and anthropology to psychology and ergonomics, which contribute to this topic. Graduate students, professionals, and researchers will find this guide to be invaluable.

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Cognition and Tool Use Forms of engagement in human and animal use of tools Christopher Baber First published 2003 by Taylor & Francis 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Taylor & Francis Inc 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Taylor & Francis is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2003 Christopher Baber Typeset in Sabon by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd, Chennai, India Printed and bound in Great Britain by All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Every effort has been made to ensure that the advice and information in this book is true and accurate at the time of going to press. However, neither the publisher nor the authors can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. In the case of drug administration, any medical procedure or the use of technical equipment mentioned within this book, you are strongly advised to consult the manufacturer’s guidelines. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data ISBN 0–415–27728–0 And you may ask yourself, how do I work this? Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime For Sara Megan Liam Natasha Jessica Contents List of figures List of tables Acknowledgments 1 Introduction Introduction 1 What is a tool? 4 Tools as ‘augmentation means’ 10 Everyday cognition 11 Forms of engagement 12 The structure of the book 14 xii xiii xiv 1 2 How animals use tools Introduction 16 Tool use by insects, crustaceans and fish 17 Tool use by birds 20 Tool use by mammals 24 Motor engagement: preadaptive or goal-directed? 24 Discussion 25 16 3 Tool use by primates and young children Introduction 27 Tool use by chimpanzees in the wild 27 Tool use by primates in the wild 32 Tool use by primates in captivity 33 Primate and human infant development 36 Cultural engagement 37 Discussion 39 27 4 The making of tools Introduction 40 Making stone tools 42 40 x Contents Studies of primates working stone 44 Types of stone tools 45 Cultural engagement 49 Discussion 50 5 Working with tools Introduction 51 Tacit knowledge 52 For
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