This study investigated the effect of Mahjong, which is a table game played by three or four players and involves intellectual activity, on the intelligence quotient of children. The participants were children between the age of 6 and 15 years, and their IQ was assessed immediately after enrolling in children's Mahjong classes and 1 year after the enrollment using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition. Twenty children were included in the analysis. Their mean age at the time of (...) the initial evaluation was 9 years and 6 months. In addition, we conducted a 1-year post-examination. The change in the IQ of this group was compared to that of a historical control group with a similar age range and test–retest interval. The mean overall full-scale IQ of the 20 children during the initial and post-1-year examinations was 106.05 and 113.75, respectively, and showed a statistically significant increase. Based on the subscale index, the verbal comprehension index and processing speed index scores both showed a statistically significant increase from 100.6 to 106.75 and from 108.05 to 119.05, respectively. The PSI of the children included in the analysis showed a statistically significant increase compared to the historical control group. This study suggests that children who participate in Mahjong classes during their childhood have increased PSI scores of WISC-IV. (shrink)

Si pretendemos interpretar el significado de “Bu” con el pensamiento y las ideas actuales, dicha letra representaría el concepto de violencia, de la magnitud de una masacre. Esto es algo similar a la ficción que supone la tecnología que Winston-Churchill, narra en su obra sobre la Crisis Mundial, donde una sola llamada de teléfono podía hacer que miles de soldados mujeres y niños murieran, empujando de este modo a la humanidad al borde de la extinción. La Constitución de Japón, que (...) proclama la amenaza permanente de “La intimidación o el uso de la fuerza”, ilustra claramente este razonamiento. Nuestra guerra moderna en realidad implica poco más que derrotar la tecnología enemiga pero, el concepto que encierra la letra “Bu” no es tan mecánico ni superficial. (shrink)

The present study investigated the comprehension processes of verbal irony by clarifying the temporally distinct contributions of three information sources, namely, salience-based lexical meaning, egocentric context, and allocentric Theory of Mind. We predicted that salience-based lexical meaning initially activates the literal representation of an ironic utterance. This is immediately followed by the activation of the ironic representation supported by the automatic interaction between salience-based lexical meaning and egocentric context. Finally, overall interpretation is achieved by incorporating the information from Theory of (...) Mind, which is provided by effortful processing. Salience-based representations are retained rather than suppressed. Cognitive load prevents incorporating the allocentric information given by Theory of Mind, resulting in an egocentric interpretation. The experimental results supported our hypothesis: both ironic representations (Experiment 1) and salience-based literal representations (Experiment 2a) become active early on. Cognitive load prevented the deactivation of unintended ironic representations (Experiment 3) and did not affect the retention of salience-based representations (Experiment 4). Intentional irony required longer reading times than unintentional irony and literal utterances (Experiment 5). (shrink)

Dieses Buch prüft die allgemeine Forschungsmeinung, dass Kant ein Vertreter des absoluten Lügenverbots sei. Dabei verteidigt der Königsberger Philosoph aber ebenso den Standpunkt, dass die Moralität einer Handlung von der Maxime des Willens abhängt. Wenn Kant nun gleichzeitig behaupten würde, dass bestimmte Handlungen in jedem Fall verboten sind, würde er sich widersprechen. Indem das Buch die begriffliche Unterscheidung von 'Lügen' als pflichtwidrige Falschaussagen und "Unwahrheiten" als nicht pflichtwidrige Falschaussagen trifft, bietet es für dieses Paradox der Kant-Forschung als erste Monografie zum (...) Lügenproblem einen Lösungsansatz. So wird man mit Kant sogar sagen können: 'Manchmal musst du die Unwahrheit sagen.'. (shrink)