Emergence of perceptuomotor relationships during paleolithic stone toolmaking learning: intersections of observation and practice

Kristel Yu Tiamco Bayani, Nikhilesh Natraj, Nada Khresdish, Justin Pargeter, Dietrich Stout, Lewis A. Wheaton

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Stone toolmaking is a human motor skill which provides the earliest archeological evidence motor skill and social learning. Intentionally shaping a stone into a functional tool relies on the interaction of action observation and practice to support motor skill acquisition. The emergence of adaptive and efficient visuomotor processes during motor learning of such a novel motor skill requiring complex semantic understanding, like stone toolmaking, is not understood. Through the examination of eye movements and motor skill, the current study sought to evaluate the changes and relationship in perceptuomotor processes during motor learning and performance over 90 h of training. Participants’ gaze and motor performance were assessed before, during and following training. Gaze patterns reveal a transition from initially high gaze variability during initial observation to lower gaze variability after training. Perceptual changes were strongly associated with motor performance improvements suggesting a coupling of perceptual and motor processes during motor learning.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Article number1278
    JournalCommunications Biology
    Volume4
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Dec 2021

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Medicine (miscellaneous)
    • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
    • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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