Evolution of the visual cortex and the emergence of symmetry in the Acheulean techno-complex

Several recent studies have examined human evolution with reference either to the symmetry of Acheulean tools or brain structure but although these investigations have been informative they have not generally taken into account the psychology of perception in relation to recent insights into neural pathways of the visual brain. Similarly, the interest in symmetry has largely been restricted to understanding tool morphology that has ignored research on how this property might be processed by the brain that could help provide new insights into cognitive evolution. The purpose of this paper is therefore to bring these diverse approaches together in an effort to assimilate the various findings so that a fuller understanding of the cognitive profile of hominins during the early to Middle Pleistocene can be achieved.