Suddendorf Thomas, Kirkland Kelly, Bulley Adam, Redshaw Jonathan, Langley Michelle C
Centre for Psychology and Evolution, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia.
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Evol Hum Sci. 2020 Oct 1;2:e48. doi: 10.1017/ehs.2020.47. eCollection 2020.
Mobile containers are a keystone human innovation. Ethnographic data indicate that all human groups use containers such as bags, quivers and baskets, ensuring that individuals have important resources at the ready and are prepared for opportunities and threats before they materialize. Although there is speculation surrounding the invention of carrying devices, the current hard archaeological evidence only reaches back some 100,000 years. The dearth of ancient evidence may reflect not only taphonomic processes, but also a lack of attention to these devices. To begin investigating the origins of carrying devices we focus on exploring the basic cognitive processes involved in mobile container use and report an initial study on young children's understanding and deployment of such devices. We gave 3- to 7-year-old children ( = 106) the opportunity to spontaneously identify and use a basket to increase their own carrying capacity and thereby obtain more resources in the future. Performance improved linearly with age, as did the likelihood of recognizing that adults use mobile carrying devices to increase carrying capacity. We argue that the evolutionary and developmental origins of mobile containers reflect foundational cognitive processes that enable humans to think about their own limits and compensate for them.
移动容器是人类一项重要的创新。人种学数据表明，所有人类群体都会使用袋子、箭袋和篮子等容器，以确保个人随时拥有重要资源，并在机会和威胁出现之前做好准备。尽管围绕携带装置的发明存在一些猜测，但目前确凿的考古证据只能追溯到大约10万年前。古代证据的匮乏可能不仅反映了埋藏学过程，也反映了对这些装置缺乏关注。为了开始探究携带装置的起源，我们专注于探索移动容器使用中涉及的基本认知过程，并报告了一项关于幼儿对这类装置的理解和运用的初步研究。我们让106名3至7岁的儿童有机会自发地识别并使用一个篮子来提高自己的携带能力，从而在未来获得更多资源。表现随着年龄的增长呈线性提高，认识到成年人使用移动携带装置来提高携带能力的可能性也是如此。我们认为，移动容器的进化和发展起源反映了基础认知过程，这些过程使人类能够思考自身的局限并加以弥补。
