  It has been suggested that the origins of cognitive modernity in the
Middle/Upper Paleolithic following the appearance of anatomically modern humans
was due to the onset of dual processing or contextual focus (CF), the ability
to shift between different modes of thought: an explicit mode conducive to
logical problem solving, and an implicit mode conducive to free-association and
breaking out of a rut. Mathematical and computational models of CF supported
this hypothesis, showing that CF is conducive to making creative connections by
placing concepts in new contexts. This paper proposes that CF was made possible
by mutation of the FOXP2 gene in the Paleolithic. FOXP2, once thought to be the
'language gene', turned out not to be uniquely associated with language. In its
modern form FOXP2 enabled fine-tuning of the neurological mechanisms underlying
the capacity to shift between processing modes by varying the size of the
activated region of memory.
