This kind of planning is cognitively demanding.

It requires holding a future state in mind while executing preparatory work toward it.

It is not reactive tool-making; it is sequential planning toward a goal.

Researchers who study Neanderthal cognition regard the Levallois technique as evidence that Neanderthals possessed the executive function to plan across multiple steps.

At Shanidar Cave, Mousterian tools are found throughout the Neanderthal occupation layers.

The assemblage includes scrapers, points, and notched tools — a range of implements associated with hunting, hide processing, and woodworking.