M. Ed.

The incidence of increased life span as well as a lack of care for older persons, gave rise to the South African Older persons Act (Act No 13 of 2006), which guides society in how our older persons should be treated. This Act also provides a clear indication of the expectations of caring for older persons within communities and families. Many older persons people rely on the relationships they have with their children in their golden years, to be fulfilling and loving. This study therefore aimed to explore the experiences of older persons and their adult children on maintaining positive relationships in order for the relationship to be most beneficial for both older persons and their adult children. The quality of relationships between adult children and older persons according to Newby (2010) can ease participation of adult children in the lives of older persons. This study was conducted from a qualitative research perspective that is exploratory, descriptive and contextual in nature. The exploratory-descriptive design allowed the researcher to understand the topic by using a narrative strategy of inquiry. A non-probability purposive sampling method was applied to identify five older persons as well as the adult children of these older persons who are retirees of an automotive company in South Africa. Individual, semi-structured face to face interviews were conducted with older persons as well as with at least one of their adult children who did not reside with them. Thematic data analysis technique was used to analyse the data collected. The study is viewed as significant in enhancing the understanding of satisfying and caring relationships between older persons and their adult children in order to add to the body of existing knowledge in social gerontology and to improve direct social work practice with older persons.

Explicit memory refers to conscious or deliberate recollection of recent events and experiences, whereas implicit memory is revealed when the same events and experiences affect performance in the absence of conscious recollection. It is well known that implicit and explicit memory develop differently across the life span: Explicit memory is acquired in early childhood, remains stable across adulthood, and then decreases in later life, whereas implicit memory develops earlier in childhood and remains intact well into late adulthood (for review see Graf, 1990). To explain this pattern of results, it has been suggested that implicit memory performance is mediated by automatic processing, whereas explicit memory performance is mediated by subject controlled processing, such as goals and strategies (e.g., Craik, 1983). My thesis examines whether development during the preschool years has the same effect or different effects on implicit and explicit memory test performance. Toward this goal, I first collected normative data to establish baserate performance on category production tests for use in the main experiment. Subjects consisted of 96 preschoolers and production norms were gathered for 7 different categories. The procedure involved reading a brief story to focus subjects attention on a category and required them to name 5 items from that category. Test performance showed two notable findings. First, some categories had a more gradual drop-off in response rate distributions than others, and second, differences in response rates for the different age groups were greater in some categories than others. The main part of this thesis is an experiment that examined whether development has the same effect or different effects on implicit and explicit memory test performance. Subjects for this study consisted of groups of 12 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds (n=36). The method involved presenting subjects with category production and category cued-recall tests for previously studied items. The items were selected from the norms according to three criteria: frequency of occurrence in the norms was not at floor or ceiling, occurrence frequencies were similar across age groups, and each item was representable as a picture. During the study phase five items were studied from each of 4 categories: CLOTHES, TRAVEL, PLAYGROUND, and ZOO. Ten of the 20 items (5 per category) were studied by each subject -- 5 in a non-elaborative study condition that required subjects to name each item and 5 in an elaborative study condition that asked them to name each item and answer a question about real-life aspects/uses of the item (e.g., "Do boys wear dresses?"). Two sets of target items that were not studied were used to assess baserate performance. The testing phase occurred immediately after the study phase. Implicit memory performance was assessed with category production tests using the same procedure as for the norms study. Explicit memory was assessed with a category cued-recall test. The critical findings from the implicit memory tests were: more priming in the elaborative than in the non-elaborative study conditions, and similarly large priming effects across age-groups. The explicit memory test results showed that performance increased across age-groups, but only for materials in the non-elaborative study condition. In the elaborative study condition 3-year olds' performance was comparable to that of the 5-year olds. The present thesis illustrated the distinction between implicit and explicit memory performance. Furthermore, it supports the hypothesis that while there is overlap of some of the components mediating these forms of memory, particularly related to storage of materials, there are significant differences between other mediating processes of implicit and explicit memory that are more closely associated with retrieval of materials. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

This study addresses how the temperament characteristics of seven year old learning disabled students are viewed in relation to those of the normally achieving students. Teacher perceptions, parent perceptions, and teacher versus parent perceptions are examined utilizing the six dimensions (activity, adaptability, approach/withdrawal, intensity, distractibility, and persistence) and the three factors (emotionality, sociability, and persistence) of the Temperament Assessment Battery.

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive and emotional functioning of neglected, physically abused, and clinical control children between six and thirteen years of age who were referred for testing at the Dallas Child Guidance Clinic.

In an effort to prevent serious psychological damage to individuals and families due to illness or disability, professionals in the health field have studied every aspect of one's health. From the "traumatic violence" of birth to the painful complexities of death and dying, the emotional health of human beings has been observed, recorded and analysed. Despite the breadth of this voluminous research, one area of interest merits more thorough study and evaluation. In order to more fully understand the intricacies of health and illness we need to know more about the effect one seriously ill child has upon the emotional health of his or her siblings. This study was conducted to gather more information about this important area of human experience. The focus was specifically aimed at the interaction between the parents of a sick child and his or her siblings.

This research study investigated the effectiveness of a filial therapy training model as a method to train fifth grade students in child-centered play therapy skills and procedures. Filial therapy is an intervention that focuses on strengthening and enhancing adult-child relationships. The fifth grade students were trained to be a therapeutic change agent for kindergarten children identified as having adjustment difficulties, by utilizing basic child-centered play therapy skills in weekly play sessions with the kindergarten children. Specifically, this research determined the effectiveness of filial therapy in increasing the fifth grade students': 1) empathic responses with kindergarten children; 2) communication of acceptance with kindergarten children; 3) allowance of self-direction with kindergarten children, and 4) involvement in play activities of kindergarten children. The experimental group of fifth grade students (N=12) received thirty-five minutes of training twice a week for 5 weeks and then once a week for the duration of the 10 weeks of play sessions. The control group (N=11) received no training during the 15 weeks of the project. Fifth grade student participants were videotaped playing with a kindergarten child identified as having adjustment difficulties in 20-minute play sessions before and after the training to measure empathic behavior in adult-child interactions. Analysis of Covariance on adjusted post test means revealed that fifth grade children in the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant increases in empathic responses, acceptance, and behavioral willingness to follow the kindergarten children's lead, and involvement. A measure of communication of acceptance of kindergarten children's feelings and behaviors although not statistically significant indicated a positive trend. This study supports the use of filial therapy as an effective training model for increasing fifth grade students' empathic behavior with kindergarten children experiencing adjustment difficulties. Filial therapy offers significant possibilities for training fifth grade students in a developmentally appropriate model for working with kindergarten children, in order to prevent future problems. The observed power of the therapeutic relationship between the fifth grade students in the experimental group and the kindergarten children suggest the continued implementation of this innovative project.

Filial therapy, originally developed by Bernard Guerney (1964), is a form of parent child therapy utilizing child-centered skills and limit setting strategies to improve the parent child relationship and to increase positive child behaviors. Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), developed by Sheila Eyberg (1988), is an empirically supported treatment for improving parenting skills and decreasing negative externalizing behavior with children. Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), developed by Garry Landreth (2002), is an up and coming form of Filial therapy, supported in the literature for improving the parent child relationship and improving the child’s general functioning. Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often present with deficits in their socialization and communication abilities. These deficiencies can cause strain on the parent child relationship because of the challenges inherent to the maladaptive interactions common among families with a child diagnosed with ASD. Therefore, there is a need for effective interventions to improve the functioning between the parent and child. However, a review of the literature discovered a lack of research using Filial therapy with children diagnosed with ASD and no research comparing different forms of Filial therapy. In order to better inform practitioners, the current study utilized qualitative analysis through a deconstructing evidence approach to examine the experience of four participants in either the PCIT or CPRT group. Participants completed pre and post assessments measuring changes in the parent child relationship and their child’s adaptive functioning. The counselors of the group also recorded the parents’ reactions to the group through their weekly progress notes. The results yielded little support for one approach over the other. One participant in the CPRT had a very successful experience overall, reporting improvement in the parent child relationship and her child’s adaptive functioning. Furthermore, the counselors recorded a more positive reaction from the parents in the CPRT group as compared to the largely neutral or negative reactions from the parents in the PCIT group. However, overall, the study concluded that more research is needed on identifying a clearly superior Filial therapy approach for children diagnosed with ASD. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Influences between quality of intimate heterosexual relationships, parenting style, and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems of children with Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were examined in a sample of intact and single parent families. The perspective on marital quality was expanded to include an examination of intimate adult relationships within single parent households. Associations between the quality of custodial parents' serious dating and/or cohabiting relationships, parenting style and the behavior problems of children with ADHD were studied. Results from this study found tentative support for previous findings that family functioning may mediate the development of conduct disorders among children with ADHD.

A limited amount of research exists that addresses low self-esteem, poor self-concept, and distorted self-image in children with Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The most urgent task is to test assumptions regarding self-perception and to assess the dimensions of self-concept influenced by this disorder. The Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985) was used in the present study to assess those dimensions. Participants included 34 boys with ADHD, 27 boys with LD, and 33 boys without any diagnosed psychological or learning problems. Results were analyzed using Pearson's product-moment correlation, analyses of variance (ANOVA), and analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) and did not support the hypotheses.