Visuospatial Integration: Paleoanthropological and Archaeological Perspectives

The visuospatial system integrates inner and outer functional processes, organizing spatial, temporal, and social interactions between the brain, body, and environment. These processes involve sensorimotor networks like the eye–hand circuit, which is especially important to primates, given their reliance on vision and touch as primary sensory modalities and the use of the hands in social and environmental interactions. At the same time, visuospatial cognition is intimately connected with memory, self-awareness, and simulation capacity. In the present article, we review issues associated with investigating visuospatial integration in extinct human groups through the use of anatomical and behavioral data gleaned from the paleontological and archaeological records. In modern humans, paleoneurological analyses have demonstrated noticeable and unique morphological changes in the parietal cortex, a region crucial to visuospatial management. Archaeological data provides information on hand–tool interaction, the spatial behavior of past populations, and their interaction with the environment. Visuospatial integration may represent a critical bridge between extended cognition, self-awareness, and social perception. As such, visuospatial functions are relevant to the hypothesis that human evolution is characterized by changes in brain–body–environment interactions and relations, which enhance integration between internal and external cognitive components through neural plasticity and the development of a specialized embodiment capacity. We therefore advocate the investigation of visuospatial functions in past populations through the paleoneurological study of anatomical elements and archaeological analysis of visuospatial behaviors

Integrating AHP and GIS Techniques for Rural Landscape and Agricultural Activities Planning

This chapter aims at providing some insights on the usefulness of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in the context of geographic multi-criteria analysis applied to GIS techniques for empirical applications. The increasing complexity in planning and programming applied to rural landscape and territories asks for multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches based on a holistic knowledge system. The AHP allows organizing in a hierarchic way both quantitative and qualitative information related to different disciplines, usually expressed in in-commensurable measure units. Participatory approaches can be included either through information based on the perception of the value of indicators (criteria) or by providing weights on the relative importance of the elements included in each hierarchical level. When applied to GIS techniques, the AHP allows taking into account both spatial distribution of elements/information and their physical relations, which are paramount for the analysis of interventions about landscape, biodiversity, etc. This chapter illustrates four case studies from Tuscany Region (Italy) where this approach has been applied. Results highlight the flexibility of this approach in planning, programming and designing specific interventions where several biophysical characteristics of a territory or landscape have to be integrated with socioeconomic information both at territorial and farm levels. Results show that it is possible to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of tools for the territorial governance by applying a scientifically sound approach that does not ask for complex mathematical models and provides a methodology and results that can be understood also by “non-experts”, improving participation processes