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Executive Functions of the Frontal Lobes and the Evolutionary Ascendancy of Homo Sapiens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2001

Frederick L. Coolidge  and
Thomas Wynn
Frederick L. Coolidge
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, P.O. Box 7150, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150, USA, fcoolidg@mail.uccs.edu.
Thomas Wynn
Affiliation:
Anthropology Department, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, P.O. Box 7150, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150, USA, twynn@mail.uccs.edu.
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Abstract

A core question of cognitive archaeology is the evolution of modern thinking. In this article, it is argued that a cluster of specific cognitive abilities, ‘executive functions’, was one of the key evolutionary acquisitions that led to the development of modern thinking. A review of the history of executive functions is presented as well as current opinions as to their nature and genetic basis. Examples are also presented from the cognitive archaeological record that may be representative of executive functions in the evolution of modern thought.

Keywords

cognitive archaeologyhuman mind, evolution of
Type
Research Article
Information
Cambridge Archaeological Journal , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , October 2001 , pp. 255 - 260
Copyright
© 2001 The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

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