On the Division Between Reason and Unreason in Kant

This article examines Kant’s discussion of the division between reason and unreason in his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. On the one hand, Kant says that there is a normative, clear, and definite division between reason and unreason. On the other hand, Kant offers three arguments showing that we cannot draw such a division. First, we cannot explain the normative grounds for the division. Second, both reason and unreason are present in everyone to varying degrees in different ways. Third, Kant invalidates the division as such by characterizing what should be more incomprehensible than an extreme case of unreason as also being a rational way of life.

The influence of developmental coordination disorder and attention deficits on associated movements in children

The relationship between associated movements (AMs) and level of motor performance is not well understood. In this study we investigated whether children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), with (n = 10) and without (n = 10) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a control group (n = 10), differed in the severity of AMs. A total AM severity score was obtained for each child by rating their performance on AM tasks. Both groups with motor difficulties had significantly more severe AMs than the control group. A significant correlation was found between level of motor performance and total AM scores (r = -.62). Our results suggest that level of motor performance should be considered in future research attempting to understand individual differences in severity of AMs as a function of motor, learning, and behavioural disorders.     

Accuracy of drawing in a dual-task and resistance-to-distraction study: motor or attention deficit?

To determine whether manual incoordination is caused by attention deficit or not, we used an accuracy drawing task as a primary task in dual-task and resistance-to-distraction studies, and examined if thus measured attention could differentiate inattention (IA) and combined (CO) subtypes of ADHD. The secondary tasks and distractions failed to lower the primary task performance in IA, CO and control groups. We also compared the impairment scores of the accuracy drawing tasks from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children [Henderson, S. E., & Sugden, D. A. (1992). Movement assessment battery for children. London: Psychological Corporation.] between the groups with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or developmental coordination disorder-inaccurate drawing type (DCD-ID). There were no group differences in the impairment score between the control and the ADHD groups, and between ADHD and ADHD plus DCD-ID groups. We concluded that inaccurate drawing is not caused by attention deficit, but that it is a manifestation of a motor deficit as a separate entity from attention deficit.     

Effects of chromaticities and occlusion of shaft on magnitude of the Müller-Lyer illusion

The magnitude of the Müller-Lyer illusion was investigated using the Brentano figure by varying the chromaticities of the shaft and the fins along the cone-excitation axes and by varying the occlusion status of the shaft by the fins. 72 college students participated using the staircase method. The stimuli whose shaft and the fin chromaticities were the same produced larger illusions than stimuli with different chromaticities regardless of the luminance contrast between the figure and the surround. When the shaft appeared in front of the fins, the illusion effect was stronger than when the shaft was occluded by the fins.     

Neo-pragmatic intentionality and enactive perception: a compromise between extended and enactive minds

The general idea of enactive perception is that actual and potential embodied activities determine perceptual experience. Some extended mind theorists, such as Andy Clark, refute this claim despite their general emphasis on the importance of the body. I propose a compromise to this opposition. The extended mind thesis is allegedly a consequence of our commonsense understanding of the mind. Furthermore, extended mind theorists assume the existence of non-human minds. I explore the precise nature of the commonsense understanding of the mind, which accepts both extended minds and non-human minds. In the area of philosophy of mind, there are two theories of intentionality based on such commonsense understandings: neo-behaviorism defended, e.g., by Daniel Dennett, and neo-pragmatism advocated, e.g., by Robert Brandom. Neither account is in full agreement with how people ordinarily use their commonsense understanding. Neo-pragmatism, however, can overcome its problem—its inability to explain why people routinely find intentionality in non-humans—by incorporating the phenomenological suggestion that interactional bodily skills determine how we perceive others’ intentionality. I call this integrative position embodied neo-pragmatism. I conclude that the extended view of the mind makes sense, without denying the existence of non-human minds, only by assuming embodied neo-pragmatism and hence the general idea of enactive perception.     

Developmental dyspraxia and developmental coordination disorder

This article discusses the role developmental dyspraxia plays in developmental coordination disorder (DCD), based upon a review of literature on apraxia, developmental dyspraxia, and DCD. Apraxia and dyspraxia have often been equated with DCD. However, it is argued that apraxia and dyspraxia primarily refer to the problems of motor sequencing and selection, which not all children with DCD exhibit. The author proposes to distinguish developmental dyspraxia from DCD. Other issues discussed include the assessment, etiology, and treatment of developmental dyspraxia and DCD, and the relationship between DCD and learning disabilities. A research agenda is offered regarding future directions to overcome current limitation.     

Effect of postural instability on drawing errors in children: a synchronized kinematic analysis of hand drawing and body motion

To investigate the role that postural stability plays in fine motor control, we assessed kinematics of the head, shoulder, elbow, and the pen during an accuracy drawing task in 24 children. Twelve children were classified into an accurate drawing (AD) group and 12 children into an inaccurate drawing (ID) group based on a manual dexterity task from the movement assessment battery for children [Henderson, S. E., & Sugden, D. A. (1992). Movement assessment battery for children. London: Psychological Corporation.]. Their parents completed a questionnaire to assess children's inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. An electromagnetic tracking system was used to monitor 3-D kinematic data of the body parts, while 2-D kinematic data of pen movement was simultaneously collected from a computer digitizer tablet. If a sudden body motion (1cm/s) occurred within a time window from one second prior to the onset of the drawing error to the end of the error, we considered that the error coincided with the extraneous body movement. For each drawing trial, the coincidence rate was computed as (number of coincidences)/(number of errors). The ID group had a significantly higher coincidence rate of head and shoulder movements compared with elbow movements, whereas coincidence rates did not differ between the three body parts in the AD group. Parental ratings of children's behavioral ratings of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity were not correlated with the coincidence rates. The results indicated that inaccurate drawing was a result of postural instability rather than fidgeting caused by inattention or hyperactivity/impulsivity.     

Contributors to suicidal ideation among bipolar patients with and without a history of suicide attempts

This study was designed to develop models for vulnerability to suicidal ideation in bipolar patients. Logistic regression models examined correlates of suicidal ideation in patients who had versus had not attempted suicide previously. Of 477 patients assessed, complete data on demographic, illness history, and personality variables were available on 243. The regression models achieved positive predictive values of 55% and 59% for the attempter (N = 92) and nonattempter groups (N = 151), respectively. Depression was cross-sectionally associated with suicidal ideation in both the attempter and nonattempter groups but made a smaller contribution among attempters. Poor psychosocial adaptation and the personality factor "openness" were stronger contributors to suicidal ideation among prior attempters while anxiety and extraversion appeared protective against ideation. Among nonattempters, depression, anxiety, and neuroticism were the predominant influences on suicidal ideation. Bipolar patients with suicidal ideation may benefit from different treatment strategies depending on their prior attempt status.     

Impact of group rejections from a physical activity on physical self-esteem among university students

This study examined the effects of trait physical self-esteem (TPSE) and reasons for group rejections upon state physical self-esteem (SPSE) in a social psychology experiment. Two vignettes were prepared for students to imagine themselves being rejected from a group physical activity. In one vignette, students were rejected by chance, whereas in the other, due to physical incapability. The results indicated that SPSE did not change significantly after rejection by chance, but that SPSE decreased significantly after rejection due to physical incapability. When the sample was divided to subgroups, high TPSE students decreased SPSE to the same level as low TPSE students, and the magnitude of decrease in high TPSE students was even larger than that in low TPSE students after rejection due to physical incapability. The similar pattern was observed in the comparison between male and female students, whereas SPSE of Physical Education major students did not drop as much after rejection due to physical incapability. Contrary to previous research, high TPSE failed to protect the decline of SPSE after group rejections particularly due to physical incapability. The involvement of the importance theory, coping strategies, and sources of rejections needs to be investigated further. Educational implications of the findings are discussed.