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Virgo J, Tarpin-Bernard F, de Chalvron S, Reynaud E, Fruitet J, Palluel-Germain R, Vallet G, Osiurak F. Échelle de cognition numérique (NUMERICOG). EUROPEAN REVIEW OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.erap.2023.100873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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2
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Whiten A. Cultural evolution in the science of culture and cultural evolution. Phys Life Rev 2023; 45:31-51. [PMID: 37003251 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
My critical review [1] elicited a welcome diversity of perspectives across the 12 commentaries now published [2-13]. In total 28 co-authors were inspired to contribute. In addition to engaging with the critical perspectives of my review, several of the commentaries take the debates and discussions into insightful and potentially important supplementary domains that I highlight in what follows. I have extracted a number of major themes in which I detected overlaps in the foci of different commentaries, and I use these to organise my replies. I hope that our shared efforts will constitute some degree of 'cultural evolution' in our science, as suggested in the title of this reply to commentaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Whiten
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK.
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3
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Osiurak F, Claidière N, Federico G. Cultural cognition and technology: Mechanical actions speak louder than bodily actions: Comment on "Blind alleys and fruitful pathways in the comparative study of cultural cognition" by Andrew Whiten. Phys Life Rev 2023; 44:141-144. [PMID: 36640588 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2022.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d'Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, 5 avenue Pierre Mendès France, 69676 Bron Cedex, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris Cedex 5, France.
| | - Nicolas Claidière
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille, France
| | - Giovanni Federico
- IRCCS Synlab SDN S.p.A., Via Emanuele Gianturco 113, 80143, Naples, Italy; Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Via Suor Orsola 10, 80135, Naples, Italy; Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
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Osiurak F, Claidière N, Federico G. Bringing cumulative technological culture beyond copying versus reasoning. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:30-42. [PMID: 36283920 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The dominant view of cumulative technological culture suggests that high-fidelity transmission rests upon a high-fidelity copying ability, which allows individuals to reproduce the tool-use actions performed by others without needing to understand them (i.e., without causal reasoning). The opposition between copying versus reasoning is well accepted but with little supporting evidence. In this article, we investigate this distinction by examining the cognitive science literature on tool use. Evidence indicates that the ability to reproduce others' tool-use actions requires causal understanding, which questions the copying versus reasoning distinction and the cognitive reality of the so-called copying ability. We conclude that new insights might be gained by considering causal understanding as a key driver of cumulative technological culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d'Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, 5 avenue Pierre Mendès France, 69676 Bron Cedex, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris Cedex 5, France.
| | - Nicolas Claidière
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille, France
| | - Giovanni Federico
- IRCCS Synlab SDN S.p.A., Via Emanuele Gianturco 113, 80143, Naples, Italy
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5
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The Area Prostriata may play a role in technical reasoning. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2022; 18:12. [PMID: 36434696 PMCID: PMC9700981 DOI: 10.1186/s12993-022-00200-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Most recent research indicated how technical reasoning (TR), namely, a specific form of causal reasoning aimed at understanding the physical world, may support the development of tools and technologies of increasing complexity. We have recently identified the Area PF of the left inferior parietal lobe (PF) as a critical structural correlate of TR, as assessed by using two ad-hoc psycho-technical tests evaluating the two main aspects of TR, i.e., physical world's understanding and visuospatial imagery. Here, we extended our findings by implementing new ad-hoc analyses of our previous data by using a whole-brain approach. Results showed that the cortical thickness (CT) of the left Area Prostriata of the visual cortex, alongside the left Area PF CT, predicts TR performance.
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Miyagawa S, Arévalo A, Nóbrega VA. On the representation of hierarchical structure: Revisiting Darwin's musical protolanguage. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:1018708. [PMID: 36438635 PMCID: PMC9692108 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1018708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this article, we address the tenability of Darwin's musical protolanguage, arguing that a more compelling evolutionary scenario is one where a prosodic protolanguage is taken to be the preliminary step to represent the hierarchy involved in linguistic structures within a linear auditory signal. We hypothesize that the establishment of a prosodic protolanguage results from an enhancement of a rhythmic system that transformed linear signals into speech prosody, which in turn can mark syntactic hierarchical relations. To develop this claim, we explore the role of prosodic cues on the parsing of syntactic structures, as well as neuroscientific evidence connecting the evolutionary development of music and linguistic capacities. Finally, we entertain the assumption that the capacity to generate hierarchical structure might have developed as part of tool-making in human prehistory, and hence was established prior to the enhancement of a prosodic protolinguistic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeru Miyagawa
- Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Analía Arévalo
- School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vitor A. Nóbrega
- Institute of Romance Studies, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Federico G, Reynaud E, Navarro J, Lesourd M, Gaujoux V, Lamberton F, Ibarrola D, Cavaliere C, Alfano V, Aiello M, Salvatore M, Seguin P, Schnebelen D, Brandimonte MA, Rossetti Y, Osiurak F. The cortical thickness of the area PF of the left inferior parietal cortex mediates technical-reasoning skills. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11840. [PMID: 35821259 PMCID: PMC9276675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15587-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Most recent research highlights how a specific form of causal understanding, namely technical reasoning, may support the increasing complexity of tools and techniques developed by humans over generations, i.e., the cumulative technological culture (CTC). Thus, investigating the neurocognitive foundations of technical reasoning is essential to comprehend the emergence of CTC in our lineage. Whereas functional neuroimaging evidence started to highlight the critical role of the area PF of the left inferior parietal cortex (IPC) in technical reasoning, no studies explored the links between the structural characteristics of such a brain region and technical reasoning skills. Therefore, in this study, we assessed participants’ technical-reasoning performance by using two ad-hoc psycho-technical tests; then, we extracted from participants’ 3 T T1-weighted magnetic-resonance brain images the cortical thickness (i.e., a volume-related measure which is associated with cognitive performance as reflecting the size, density, and arrangement of cells in a brain region) of all the IPC regions for both hemispheres. We found that the cortical thickness of the left area PF predicts participants’ technical-reasoning performance. Crucially, we reported no correlations between technical reasoning and the other IPC regions, possibly suggesting the specificity of the left area PF in generating technical knowledge. We discuss these findings from an evolutionary perspective, by speculating about how the evolution of parietal lobes may have supported the emergence of technical reasoning in our lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Federico
- IRCCS Synlab SDN, Via Emanuele Gianturco, 113, 80143, Naples, Italy.
| | - Emanuelle Reynaud
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Jordan Navarro
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Mathieu Lesourd
- Laboratoire de recherches Intégratives en Neurosciences et Psychologie Cognitive (UR 481), Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France.,MSHE Ledoux, CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-25000, Besançon, France
| | - Vivien Gaujoux
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Franck Lamberton
- CERMEP-Imagerie du vivant, MRI Department and CNRS UMS3453, Lyon, France
| | - Danièle Ibarrola
- CERMEP-Imagerie du vivant, MRI Department and CNRS UMS3453, Lyon, France
| | - Carlo Cavaliere
- IRCCS Synlab SDN, Via Emanuele Gianturco, 113, 80143, Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Alfano
- IRCCS Synlab SDN, Via Emanuele Gianturco, 113, 80143, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Aiello
- IRCCS Synlab SDN, Via Emanuele Gianturco, 113, 80143, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Salvatore
- IRCCS Synlab SDN, Via Emanuele Gianturco, 113, 80143, Naples, Italy
| | - Perrine Seguin
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), Computation, Cognition and Neurophysiology Team (Inserm UMR_S 1028-CNRS-UMR 5292-Université de Lyon), Bron, France
| | - Damien Schnebelen
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | | | - Yves Rossetti
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), Trajectoires Team (Inserm UMR_S 1028-CNRS-UMR 5292-Université de Lyon), Bron, France.,Mouvement et Handicap and Neuro-Immersion, Hospices Civils de Lyon et Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Hôpital Henry Gabrielle, St Genis Laval, France
| | - François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Osiurak F, Claidière N, Bluet A, Brogniart J, Lasserre S, Bonhoure T, Di Rollo L, Gorry N, Polette Y, Saude A, Federico G, Uomini N, Reynaud E. Technical reasoning bolsters cumulative technological culture through convergent transformations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl7446. [PMID: 35235360 PMCID: PMC8890708 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl7446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of human technology is key to solving the mystery of our origins. Current theories propose that technology evolved through the accumulation of modifications that were mostly transmitted between individuals by blind copying and the selective retention of advantageous variations. An alternative account is that high-fidelity transmission in the context of cumulative technological culture is supported by technical reasoning, which is a reconstruction mechanism that allows individuals to converge to optimal solutions. We tested these two competing hypotheses with a microsociety experiment, in which participants had to optimize a physical system in partial- and degraded-information transmission conditions. Our results indicated an improvement of the system over generations, which was accompanied by an increased understanding of it. The solutions produced tended to progressively converge over generations. These findings show that technical reasoning can bolster high-fidelity transmission through convergent transformations, which highlights its role in the cultural evolution of technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | | | - Alexandre Bluet
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Joël Brogniart
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Salomé Lasserre
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Timothé Bonhoure
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Laura Di Rollo
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Néo Gorry
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Yohann Polette
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Alix Saude
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | | | - Natalie Uomini
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Emanuelle Reynaud
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
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Nakawake Y, Kobayashi Y. Negative observational learning might play a limited role in the cultural evolution of technology. Sci Rep 2022; 12:970. [PMID: 35046491 PMCID: PMC8770688 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05031-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Theoretical and empirical studies of the cultural evolution in technology have often focused on positive observational learning, i.e., copying a successful individual. However, negative observational learning, i.e., avoiding negative or bad exemplar behavior, is ubiquitous in humans and other animals. In this paper, we experimentally investigate whether observing negative examples can assist in tool making in the virtual arrowhead task, which has been widely applied to test the theory of cultural evolution in the technological domain. We set three conditions that differ in the kinds of social learning available to participants: (1) positive observational learning, (2) negative observational learning, and (3) pure asocial learning. The results of the positive observational and pure asocial learning conditions replicated previous studies; i.e., participants in the positive observational learning condition outperformed those in the asocial learning condition. In contrast, opportunities to observe negative examples did not increase the performance compared to pure asocial learning. Computer simulations in the same setting showed that the presence of negative exemplars is in theory beneficial to participants, providing additional pieces of information on the relationship between arrowhead designs and their performance scores. These findings together suggest that negative observational learning might play only a limited role in the cultural evolution of technologies possibly due to a cognitive bias in humans toward copying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yo Nakawake
- School of Economics and Management, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, 780-8515, Japan.
- School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6PE, UK.
| | - Yutaka Kobayashi
- School of Economics and Management, Kochi University of Technology, Kochi, 780-8515, Japan
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Osiurak F, Reynaud E, Baumard J, Rossetti Y, Bartolo A, Lesourd M. Pantomime of tool use: looking beyond apraxia. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab263. [PMID: 35350708 PMCID: PMC8936430 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Pantomime has a long tradition in clinical neuropsychology of apraxia. It has been much more used by researchers and clinicians to assess tool-use disorders than real tool use. Nevertheless, it remains incompletely understood and has given rise to controversies, such as the involvement of the left inferior parietal lobe or the nature of the underlying cognitive processes. The present article offers a comprehensive framework, with the aim of specifying the neural and cognitive bases of pantomime. To do so, we conducted a series of meta-analyses of brain-lesion, neuroimaging and behavioural studies about pantomime and other related tasks (i.e. real tool use, imitation of meaningless postures and semantic knowledge). The first key finding is that the area PF (Area PF complex) within the left inferior parietal lobe is crucially involved in both pantomime and real tool use as well as in the kinematics component of pantomime. The second key finding is the absence of a well-defined neural substrate for the posture component of pantomime (both grip errors and body-part-as-tool responses). The third key finding is the role played by the intraparietal sulcus in both pantomime and imitation of meaningless postures. The fourth key finding is that the left angular gyrus seems to be critical in the production of motor actions directed towards the body. The fifth key finding is that performance on pantomime is strongly correlated with the severity of semantic deficits. Taken together, these findings invite us to offer a neurocognitive model of pantomime, which provides an integrated alternative to the two hypotheses that dominate the field: The gesture-engram hypothesis and the communicative hypothesis. More specifically, this model assumes that technical reasoning (notably the left area PF), the motor-control system (notably the intraparietal sulcus), body structural description (notably the left angular gyrus), semantic knowledge (notably the polar temporal lobes) and potentially theory of mind (notably the middle prefrontal cortex) work in concert to produce pantomime. The original features of this model open new avenues for understanding the neurocognitive bases of pantomime, emphasizing that pantomime is a communicative task that nevertheless originates in specific tool-use (not motor-related) cognitive processes. .
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Affiliation(s)
- François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d’Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA3082), Université Lyon 2, 69676 Bron, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Emanuelle Reynaud
- Laboratoire d’Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA3082), Université Lyon 2, 69676 Bron, France
| | - Josselin Baumard
- Normandie University, UNIROUEN, CRFDP (EA7475), 76821 Mont Saint Aignan, France
| | - Yves Rossetti
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Trajectoires Team, CNRS U5292, Inserm U1028, Université de Lyon, 69676 Bron, France
- Mouvement, Handicap, et Neuro-Immersion, Hospices Civils de Lyon et Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Hôpital Henry Gabrielle, 69230 Saint-Genis-Laval, France
| | - Angela Bartolo
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75231 Paris, France
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR9193, SCALab—Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, 59653 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Mathieu Lesourd
- Laboratoire de Recherches Intégratives en Neurosciences et Psychologie Cognitive (UR481), Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25030 Besançon, France
- MSHE Ledoux, CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France
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Osiurak F, Crétel C, Uomini N, Bryche C, Lesourd M, Reynaud E. On the Neurocognitive Co-Evolution of Tool Behavior and Language: Insights from the Massive Redeployment Framework. Top Cogn Sci 2021; 13:684-707. [PMID: 34612604 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the link between brain evolution and the evolution of distinctive features of modern human cognition is a fundamental challenge. A still unresolved question concerns the co-evolution of tool behavior (i.e., tool use or tool making) and language. The shared neurocognitive processes hypothesis suggests that the emergence of the combinatorial component of language skills within the frontal lobe/Broca's area made possible the complexification of tool-making skills. The importance of the frontal lobe/Broca's area in tool behavior is somewhat surprising with regard to the literature on neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience, which has instead stressed the critical role of the left inferior parietal lobe. Therefore, to be complete, any version of the shared neurocognitive processes hypothesis needs to integrate the potential interactions between the frontal lobe/Broca's area and the left inferior parietal lobe as well as their co-evolution at a phylogenetic level. Here, we sought to provide the first elements of answer through the use of the massive deployment framework, which posits that evolutionarily older brain areas are deployed in more cognitive functions (i.e., they are less specific). We focused on the left parietal cortex, and particularly the left areas PF, PGI, and anterior intraparietal (AIP), which are known to be involved in tool use, language, and motor control, respectively. The deployment of each brain area in different cognitive functions was measured by conducting a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Our results confirmed the pattern of specificity for each brain area and also showed that the left area PGI was far less specific than the left areas PF and AIP. From these findings, we discuss the different evolutionary scenarios depicting the potential co-evolution of the combinatorial and generative components of language and tool behavior in our lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Osiurak
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon.,Institut Universitaire de France
| | - Caroline Crétel
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon
| | - Natalie Uomini
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
| | - Chloé Bryche
- Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université de Lyon
| | - Mathieu Lesourd
- Laboratoire de Psychologie, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté
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