#266 Lyn Wadley: Archaeology, And The Evolution of Human Cognition

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Dr. Lyn Wadley is jointly Honorary Professor of Archaeology in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, and the Evolutionary Studies Institute, at University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She directs a Wits-recognized programme called ACACIA (Ancient Cognition and Culture in Africa). Her specialty is the African Stone Age: Middle Stone Age (which lasted from approximately 300,000 to 25,000 years ago) and Later Stone Age (the last 25,000 years). She began her career researching social and ecological issues during the past 25,000 years of the Later Stone Age in southern Africa. Data for her interpretations were obtained from sites in Namibia and South Africa. Dr. Wadley’s current research is dedicated to the cognition of people who lived in the Middle Stone Age.

In this episode, we talk about how we can learn more about the evolution of human cognition through Archaeology. We discuss how we can make inferences about human cognitive abilities from artifacts, and also their limitations. We got through specific abilities, like imagination, planning, analogical reasoning, multitasking, and symbolism, and how a big part of them have a social ingredient. We address the question of what is a modern human. We also talk about the interplay between technology and cognition. Dr. Wadley tells us what she learned by studying the production of compound adhesives. Finally, we address topics like the respect we should have for the cognitive capacity of people who lived in traditional societies; the potential impact of modern culture in the evolution of our cognition; and our shared human nature.

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