Human Behavioral Ecology and Technological Decision-Making

Archaeological research grounded in evolutionary ecology (EE), and specifically human behavioral ecology (HBE), has sought to explain past behavior using models that derive predictions from quantitative analyses of fitness-related trade-offs. The appeal of these frameworks is their broad applications across many categories of human behavior, from prey choice and acquisition to tool manufacture and post-encounter processing decisions. The goal of most HBE models is to predict which decision a forager might make given the desired outcome of obtaining the highest return per unit effort, the maximization of which is assumed to enhance fitness. Here we explore applications of these models as they pertain to stone tool procurement and design and investments in novel and/or existing technology.