The Effects of Training on Action Observation: A Neuroarchaeological Investigation using EEG

Like all organisms, humans have evolved from their ancestors. This process of evolution has not only changed the physical appearance of humans but also shaped their cognitive mechanisms and abilities. Over time, humans have developed various cognitive abilities in response to specific events during evolution. For example, living in more densely populated groups may have led humans to develop a cognitive mechanism to monitor the actions of others, thereby increasing their chance of survival. Cognitive neuroscience seeks to answer questions about the cognitive processes that humans possess today as a result of evolution. To better understand how these processes function, interdisciplinary studies are needed. Here, we introduce a relatively new field that combines neuroscience and archeology called neuroarcheology, which can provide insight into human cognition. On the basis of this interdisiclinary perspective, we focus on action observation and report the results of our experiment that utilized EEG to investigate whether toolmaking training caused differential brain activity between groups during an action observation task. Our preliminary findings show subtle differences between the experimental group (trained) and the control group. These results can serve as a valuable reference point for future studies in this area.