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What Makes a Tool

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

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Definition

A tool is an object that extends the action capability of the user by transforming the body into a body-plus-tool system, such that the biomechanical fit of the body of the user, the object, and the goal(s) of the user collectively channel the organization of movements in action.

Introduction

All our technology relies on skillful tool use; how we manufacture and use tools is perhaps what distinguishes us from other animal species more than anything else. Archeological remains indicate that we have been using tools for at least 3.3 million years (Harmand et al. 2015). Tool use is considered to have been a key driver of our evolution; independent pieces of research have revealed close associations among tools, language, and cognition (Ambrose 2001; Gibson and Ingold 1993).

Tools are not unique to humans; nonhuman animals use tools as well. Chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes (Boesch et al. 2009; Sanz and Morgan 2007), and capuchin monkeys, Sapajus spp. (Mannu and Ottoni 2009), use...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Madhur Mangalam

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  1. Madhur Mangalam
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Correspondence to Madhur Mangalam .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland Univ Dept of Psycholgy, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  3. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Redlands, Redlands, CA, USA

    Catherine Salmon

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Mangalam, M. (2016). What Makes a Tool. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3153-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3153-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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