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The role of material culture in human time representation: calendrical systems as extensions of mental time travel

Johan De Smedt (UGent) and Helen De Cruz
(2011) ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR. 19(1). p.63-76
Author
Organization
Abstract
Humans have cognitive mechanisms that allow them to keep track of time, represent past events and simulate the future, but these capacities have intrinsic constraints. Here, we explore the role of material culture as an extension of internal time representations through anthropological and archeological case studies, focusing on Upper Paleolithic material culture. We argue that calendars complement and extend internal time representations, because they enable humans to project past events into the future more accurately than is possible with episodic memory alone, making them one of the factors that significantly improved foraging success during the Upper Paleolithic. We discuss the implications of the epistemic use of material culture for our understanding of the causes of shifts in human behavior during the Upper Paleolithic.
Keywords
mental time travel, cognitive archeology, episodic thinking, calendars, epistemic artifacts

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MLA
De Smedt, Johan, and Helen De Cruz. “The Role of Material Culture in Human Time Representation: Calendrical Systems as Extensions of Mental Time Travel.” ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR, vol. 19, no. 1, 2011, pp. 63–76, doi:10.1177/1059712310396382.
APA
De Smedt, J., & De Cruz, H. (2011). The role of material culture in human time representation: calendrical systems as extensions of mental time travel. ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR, 19(1), 63–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059712310396382
Chicago author-date
De Smedt, Johan, and Helen De Cruz. 2011. “The Role of Material Culture in Human Time Representation: Calendrical Systems as Extensions of Mental Time Travel.” ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR 19 (1): 63–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059712310396382.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
De Smedt, Johan, and Helen De Cruz. 2011. “The Role of Material Culture in Human Time Representation: Calendrical Systems as Extensions of Mental Time Travel.” ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR 19 (1): 63–76. doi:10.1177/1059712310396382.
Vancouver
1.
De Smedt J, De Cruz H. The role of material culture in human time representation: calendrical systems as extensions of mental time travel. ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR. 2011;19(1):63–76.
IEEE
[1]
J. De Smedt and H. De Cruz, “The role of material culture in human time representation: calendrical systems as extensions of mental time travel,” ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 63–76, 2011.
@article{1181813,
  abstract     = {{Humans have cognitive mechanisms that allow them to keep track of time, represent past events and simulate the future, but these capacities have intrinsic constraints. Here, we explore the role of material culture as an extension of internal time representations through anthropological and archeological case studies, focusing on Upper Paleolithic material culture. We argue that calendars complement and extend internal time representations, because they enable humans to project past events into the future more accurately than is possible with episodic memory alone, making them one of the factors that significantly improved foraging success during the Upper Paleolithic. We discuss the implications of the epistemic use of material culture for our understanding of the causes of shifts in human behavior during the Upper Paleolithic.}},
  author       = {{De Smedt, Johan and De Cruz, Helen}},
  issn         = {{1059-7123}},
  journal      = {{ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR}},
  keywords     = {{mental time travel,cognitive archeology,episodic thinking,calendars,epistemic artifacts}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{63--76}},
  title        = {{The role of material culture in human time representation: calendrical systems as extensions of mental time travel}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1177/1059712310396382}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}
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