Technological Perspectives on Behavioral Change

Download or read book Technological Perspectives on Behavioral Change written by Michael Brian Schiffer and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2022-09-13 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human societies have always been characterized by a dependence on artifacts, from prehistoric stone tools to modern electronic devices. Technology responds to and affects virtually all human behavior; yet the interdependence of behavior and artifacts has never been studied intensively. Archaeologist Schiffer now draws on his discipline's familiarity with artifacts--and the processes of change they reveal--to offer new insight into the study of behavioral change. Drawing on case studies that deal with changes in architecture, ceramics and electronic technology, he emphasizes the central idea that the explanations of change must focus on the nexus of behavior and artifacts in the context of activities.