Cognition and Tool Use

Book excerpt: The ability to use tools is a distinguishing feature of human beings. It represents a complex psychomotor activity which we are only now beginning to understand. Robust theoretical accounts are being developed which allow us to understand better how people use tools and which explain differences in human and animal tool-use from the perspective of cognitive science. Our understanding needs to be based on research into how people use tools, which draws on many disciplines: such as why tool use can fail (drawing particularly on ergonomics) and the neurological areas probably associated with tool use (drawing on neuropsychology). This book considers contemporary tool use in domains such as surgery, and considers future developments in human-computer interfaces, such as haptic virtual reality and tangible user interfaces. It presents a single, coherent account of human tool-use as a complex psychomotor activity; it builds on this to explain how people use tools and how this activity can fail; and then goes on to describe the design and development of usable tools. Ergonomics, No other single text brings together the research from the different disciplines, ranging from archaeology and anthropology to psychology and ergonomics, which contribute to this topic. Graduate students, professionals and researchers should find this an invaluable guide. Book jacket.