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The Evolution of the Optimization of Cognitive and Social Functions in the Cerebellum and Thereby the Rise of Homo sapiens Through Cumulative Culture

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Abstract

The evolution of the prominent role of the cerebellum in the development of composite tools, and cumulative culture, leading to the rise of Homo sapiens is examined. Following Stout and Hecht's (2017) detailed description of stone-tool making, eight key repetitive involvements of the cerebellum are highlighted. These key cerebellar learning involvements include the following: (1) optimization of cognitive-social control, (2) prediction (3) focus of attention, (4) automaticity of smoothness, appropriateness, and speed of movement and cognition, (5) refined movement and social cognition, (6) learns models of extended practice, (7) learns models of Theory of Mind (ToM) of teachers, (8) is predominant in acquisition of novel behavior and cognition that accrues from the blending of cerebellar models sent to conscious working memory in the cerebral cortex. Within this context, the evolution of generalization and blending of cerebellar internal models toward optimization of social-cognitive learning is described. It is concluded that (1) repetition of movement and social cognition involving the optimization of internal models in the cerebellum during stone-tool making was the key selection factor toward social-cognitive and technological advancement, (2) observational learning during stone-tool making was the basis for both technological and social-cognitive evolution and, through an optimizing positive feedback loop between the cerebellum and cerebral cortex, the development of cumulative culture occurred, and (3) the generalization and blending of cerebellar internal models related to the unconscious forward control of the optimization of imagined future states in working memory was the most important brain adaptation leading to intertwined advances in stone-tool technology, cognitive-social processes behind cumulative culture (including the emergence of language and art) and, thereby, with the rise of Homo sapiens.

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Notes

  1. Autobiographical knowledge refers to one’s fluent or automatic knowledge (including abstract knowledge) of past and future action/interaction sequences related to the self [28].

  2. Albert Einstein letter to Dr. H. L. Gordon, May 3, 1949. This is Item 58 -217 in the Control Index to the Einstein Archive which may be consulted at Mudd Library, Princeton University.

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Funding

This project was executed without financial support from any governmental, commercial or not-for-profit organizations. CHECK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. American Nonlinear Systems, Spokane, Washigton, USA

    Larry Vandervert

  2. Cerebellar Ataxias Unit, CHU-Charleroi, Charleroi, 6000, Charleroi, Belgium

    Mario Manto

  3. Department of Clinical and Cognitive Neurorehabilitation, Bavaria Hospital, Kreischa, Germany

    Michael Adamaszek

  4. Department of Humanities, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Chiara Ferrari

  5. IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy

    Chiara Ferrari & Andrea Ciricugno

  6. Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Andrea Ciricugno

  7. Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Milan, Italy

    Zaira Cattaneo

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  1. Larry Vandervert
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  4. Chiara Ferrari
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Project administration, LV, MM; Writing: all. All authors have read the final version and agreed on publication.

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Correspondence to Larry Vandervert.

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Vandervert, L., Manto, M., Adamaszek, M. et al. The Evolution of the Optimization of Cognitive and Social Functions in the Cerebellum and Thereby the Rise of Homo sapiens Through Cumulative Culture. Cerebellum (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-024-01692-z

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