Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An exploratory study, conducted in a clothing manufacturing plant, investigated the presence of a single psychological climate in an organisation, as well as the relationship between two increasingly important constructs namely: leader emotional intelligence and the psychological climate of an organisation. Of a total employee population of 1725 a sample of 600 participants were drawn. 297 Completed responses were returned for analyses. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on both The Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test (SUEIT), which is designed to measure emotional intelligence, and the Organisational Climate Questionnaire of Koys and DeCotiis, which measures psychological climate. Stepwise discriminant analysis provided evidence to accept the proposition that a single psychological climate existed in the organisation. The results of a Pearson correlation analysis, multiple regression and discriminant analysis indicated that emotional intelligence is significantly, positively related to psychological climate as a dependant variable. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Eksploratiewe studie is onderneem in 'n klere vervaardigingsonderneming om ondersoek in te stel na die aanwesigheid van 'n enkel sielkundige klimaat, asook die verwantskap tussen twee belangrike konstrukte, naamlik emosionele intelligensie en sielkundige klimaat in 'n organisasie. 'n Steekproef van 600 deelnemers is geneem uit 'n populasie van 1725 waarvan 297 voltooide antwoorde ontvang en geanaliseer is. 'n Eksploratiewe Faktor Analise (EFA) is op beide die Swinburne Universiteit Emosionele Intelligensie Toets (SUIET), en die Organisasie Klimaat Vraelys van Koys en De Cotiis, wat onderskeidelik emosionele intelligensie en sielkundige klimaat meet, uitgevoer. Bewyse deur middel van stapsgewyse diskriminante analise is ingewin om die hipotese te aanvaar dat 'n enkel sielkundige klimaat in die organisasie aanwesig is. Die resultate van 'n Pearson korrelasie, meervoudige regressie en diskrimante analise het aangedui dat emosionele intelligensie beduidend, positief verwant is aan sielkundige klimaat as 'n afhanklike veranderlike.

This study examined the effects of level and quality of education on WAIS-III Digit Symbol-Incidental Learning performance. The Pairing and Free Recall measures were administered to a South African sample (N = 68, age range 19-30), which was stratified for English and African language, level of education attained (Grade 12s and Graduates) and quality of education (advantaged and disadvantaged schooling). Results yielded no significant main or interaction effects between acculturation factors of level and quality of education. Normative guidelines of 13 or more pairs and 8 or more free recall symbols, appropriate to a non-clinical sample in a multicultural setting, are provided. Digit Symbol-Incidental Learning proved to be a culture-fair test, which contributes to its clinical utility as a sensitive memory screening tool.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - 3rd Edition (WAIS-III) is the newest of the internationally recognised Wechsler family of intelligence tests. It has been improved in terms of its psychometric properties, neuropsychological assessment abilities and its content. This test is in the process of being standardised by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa. As the adapted South African version will be available shortly for use in the multicultural circumstances of South Africa, the application of the various aspects of this test needs to be investigated. This test is very comprehensive and thorough, however its one disadvantage is that it takes on average three hours to administer in its entirety. Thus there is a need to find ways in which to abbreviate the test for particular purposes when time is limited, for example in research, brief clinical assessments or neuropsychological screenings. The concept of abbreviating tests, including the earlier Wechsler intelligence test can be traced back to 1917, when it was asked if all the items on the Binet-Simon scale were required to give an accurate assessment of IQ (Levy, 1968). Since then there have been many short form suggestions made, with many different considerations in mind. These can be divided into two main approaches or methods. Firstly, the number of subtests of the scale can be reduced. Thus with the WAIS-III which consists of 14 subtests in total, an option is to use, for example only four of the subtests to get an estimate of a person's IQ. Secondly, the number of items in each subtest can be reduced. Thus only half the items or even only a third of the items on a subtest can be administered to get an estimate of the persons' performance on each subtest and in this way estimate their overall IQ. Both methods have been used on the WAIS and WAIS-R, although the reduction of the subtests is favoured. Both should now be validated and considered for use with the WATS-III in South Africa. Wechsler tests and their constituent subtests have been found to be differentially effected by race, education, language and socio-economic status (Kaufman, McLean & Reynolds, 1988; Nell 1999). These differences have also been found to impact on the short forms which are suggested, as certain subtests are considered to be more biased towards particular groups than others. Vocabulary and Block Design in particular bias testees who are not as westernised or acculturated towards a largely American and European culture (Kaufman, McLean & Reynolds, 1988). These differences, although often ascribed to race, language or socio-economic status can best be understood more broadly in terms of degree of acculturation (i.e. westernisation) (Shuttleworth-Jordan, 1996) and test-wiseness (Nell, 1999). In South Africa in particular, with its extreme cultural diversity these factors need to be carefully considered when developing short forms. In the present study the development of a short form appropriate to South Africa's diverse cultural circumstances will be approached, through a sample which has been stratified according to gender, first language (English vs. African), quality of schooling received (Private/Model C vs. DET) and level of education achieved (Matric vs. Graduate). Both a subtest reduction method and an item reduction method will be considered to arrive at a short form. The subtest reduction method will be considered further in an attempt to clarify which subtests would be more or less appropriate to include in a short form considering group differences. Finally the thesis will develop suggestions as to which short forms would be best for use in South Africa.

This study focused on two major areas of investigation: (1) locus of control and (2) the influence on test performance of anxiety and motivation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of programmed instruction dealing with motivation, anxiety, and test-wiseness as a means of enhancing group intelligence test performance of externalizing children. While earlier research demonstrated the viability of this technique x^ith a heterogeneous sample, no studies have utilized any kind of instruction to facilitate the performance of externalizers on standardized tests. It was hypothesized that intelligence test performance would be enhanced by programmed instruction. Furthermore, externalizers were expected to demonstrate greater gains than internalizers, which would thereby suggest that locus of control provides a source of variance in intellectual assessment.

This study, which formed part of a larger research project, investigated the effect of gender on test performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Third Edition (WAIS-III). The WAIS-III was administered to a sample of 68 participants in the Eastern Cape following the initiative of the Human Sciences Research Council to standardise the WAIS-III for a South African population. The participants, aged 19 to 30, were stratified according to language of origin (African or English First Language), educational attainment (matriculant or graduate), quality of education (Department of Education and Training or private/"Model C" school) and gender. Analyses of variance and two sample t tests were used to compare male and female test performance. For the total sample, no significant difference between males and females on Verbal, Performance and Full Scale IQ were found. On the factor indices, females scored marginally higher than males on Processing Speed at a level which was approaching significance (p = 0.105), but no significant differences were found. On subtest performance, females significantly outperformed males on Digit Symbol (p = 0.020). Differences which were approaching significance were found on Information (p = 0.133) in favour of males, and on Matrix Reasoning (p = 0.092) in favour of females. For subgroups of the total sample, the most significant differences in test performance were found for the African First Language private/"Model C" school cohort in favour of females. Thus the overriding implication that emerged from this research was that on this relatively highly educated sample, no significant gender differences in cognitive ability were apparent.

Orientador: Sylvia Maria Ciasca / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T14:33:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Guimaraes_InesElcione_D.pdf: 4272361 bytes, checksum: 61a706cfbc3b1f7cff0820fbeb662e9a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: A doença cerebrovascular (DCV) na infância é considerada rara e interfere drasticamente na evolução da criança. Este estudo teve como objetivo relacionar as achados neuropsicológicos em crianças com DCV isquêmica ou hemorrágica, com variáveis que interferem na doença como: recorrência, etiologia, idade de instalação do quadro. Participaram do estudo 32 crianças com história de acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) isquêmico ou hemorrágico, de ambos os sexos na faixa etária de 6 a 16 anos, que foram submetidos à avaliação neuropsicológica, intelectual, viso-motor, desempenho escolar, exame de imagem funcional, entre outros. A amostra foi selecionada a partir do banco de dados do Grupo de Estudos em DCV na Infância e Adolescência do HC da UNICAMP. Participaram ainda outras 25 crianças que compuseram o grupo controle. O grupo isquêmico com 68,75% da amostra e o hemorrágico com 31,25%, não se diferiram quanto ao sexo, recorrência, crise convulsiva e idade de instalação do AVC. Constatou que 87% evoluíram com seqüela motora e 34,3% com rebaixamento intelectual. O desempenho intelectual foi mais prejudicado frente às seguintes situações: anemia falciforme, idade precoce de instalação do quadro, recorrência, evolução com crise convulsiva, dois hemisférios acometidos, lesão cortico-subcortical e seqüela motora. Verificou-se que 18,7% das crianças do grupo experimental não conseguiram responder à bateria de instrumentos, sugerindo que a lesão em regiões corticais e subcorticais em idade precoce produziram severos prejuízos cognitivos. Palavras chaves: doença cerebrovascular ¿ quociente intelectual - infância ¿ exame de imagem funcional, recorrência / Abstract: The cerebrovascular disease (CVD) during the childhood is rare and interferes drastically in the development of child. The aim of this study is to relate the neuropsychological findings in children with ischemic or hemorrhagic CVD, to variables that interfere in the disease, for example: recurrence, etiology, the age of the installation. Thirty-two children with prior history of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, of both sexes in the age group from 6 to 16 years, were subdued to an neuropsychological, intellectual, visual-motor, school performance, cerebral blood flow evaluation; among others, the sample was selected from the Group of Studies in CVD in childhood and adolescence database of the HC of UNICAMP. Twenty-five children also the hemorrhagic with 31,25%, there was no difference in relation of sex, recurrence, seizures and the age of installation of the CVA. It was noticed that 87% grew with motor sequelae and 34,3% with an intellectual reduction. The intellectual performance was more damaged facing these situations: sickle cell disease, premature age of the installation, recurrence, evolution of convulsive crisis, two hemispheres attacked, cortical-subcortical lesion and motor sequelae. It was checked, 18,7% of the children in the experimental group couldn¿t respond to the battery of instruments, suggesting that the lesion in the cortical an subcortical areas in early age produced severe cognitive damages. Key-words: disease cerebrovascular ¿ intelligence quotient ¿ childhood ¿ SPECT ¿ recurrence / Doutorado / Ciencias Biomedicas / Doutor em Ciências Médicas

Introdução: A literatura científica sugere que pacientes com Transtorno Bipolar apresentam dificuldades cognitivas, que parecem persistir mesmo após remissão dos sintomas afetivos. Os déficits encontrados se localizam basicamente nas funções executivas, porém, em amostras de pacientes bipolares eutímicos os resultados são inconsistentes e uma possível justificativa para isto reside na característica do grupo avaliado em relação ao regime medicamentoso, tempo de doença, número de episódios e de internações. Objetivo: O presente estudo teve como proposta investigar o funcionamento executivo de forma ampla em um grupo de pacientes bipolares eutímicos, comparando os resultados obtidos a um grupo de sujeitos controles. Método: Foi utilizada uma bateria de provas neuropsicológicas com a finalidade de avaliar as funções atencionais, memória de trabalho, bem como outros processos mnésticos, flexibilidade mental, habilidade de planejamento, capacidade de análise de situações sociais e de julgamento e crítica. Incluiu-se ainda um questionário auto-aplicativo sobre as habilidades sociais, sendo este o primeiro estudo na literatura a realizar este tipo de comparação. Foram avaliados 25 pacientes e 31 controles. Os grupos foram bem pareados quanto ao gênero, idade, escolaridade e nível intelectual. Resultados: Na avaliação das funções executivas foi observada uma diferença significativa na prova de fluência verbal, com menor produtividade para o grupo de pacientes. Não foram verificadas diferenças entre os grupos nas demais provas aplicadas. Foi encontrada associação entre o número de internações e a presença de sintomas psicóticos com os escores das provas que recrutavam análise visuoespacial, planejamento, velocidade no processamento da informação, controle inibitório e capacidade de julgamento e crítica. Nas habilidades sociais, os pacientes bipolares pontuaram menos nos itens que avaliavam as habilidades de \"conversação e desenvoltura social\" e, \"auto-exposição a desconhecidos e situações novas\". Conclusão: Dentre os componentes das funções executivas houve diferença apenas na prova de fluência verbal, resultado este consistente aos achados da literatura. Em desacordo com pesquisas anteriores, não encontramos diferenças entre os grupos nas seguintes funções cognitivas: atenção, memória, flexibilidade mental, planejamento e na capacidade de julgamento, crítica e análise de situações sociais. Em relação às habilidades sociais, os resultados sugerem um comportamento inibido e hipervigilante dos pacientes em relação ao meio ambiente nos períodos de eutimia quando comparados aos controles / Introduction: The scientific literature suggests that patients with Bipolar Disorder present cognitive impairment, which seems to persist even after remission. The deficits are basically in the executive functions, however, in samples with euthymic bipolar patients, the results are inconsistent, and a possible explanation for this is the characteristic of the sample in relation to medication, duration of illness and number of hospitalizations. Objective: The present study had as primary objective the investigation of executive functioning in a comprehensive manner in a group of euthymic bipolar patients, comparing the results with a control group. Method: A battery of neuropsycological tests was used to assess attention, working memory and other memory process, mental flexibility, planning ability, judgment capacity and analysis of social situations. Furthermore we included a self- report questionnaire about social skills. This was the first study in the literature to undertake this comparison. Twenty five patients and 31 controls were assessed. Groups went matched as for the gender, age, education and intellectual level. Results: In the evaluation of executive functions a significant difference was observed in the verbal fluency, with a smaller productivity in the group of patients. Differences were not detected between the groups in the other tests. We found an association between the number of hospitalizations and the lifetime occurrence of psychotic symptoms, and the scores of the tests that required visuospatial analysis, information processing speed, planning, inhibitory control and capacity to express opinion about social events. Regarding social skills, bipolar patients scored less in the items that assessed \"Conversation and social self-confidence\" and \"Self-exposition to unknown people and new situations\". Conclusion: Among the components of the executive functions there was a difference only in the verbal fluency test, and this result is in accordance with the literature. In disagreement with previous descriptions, we did not find differences in attention, memory, mental flexibility, planning, judgment capacity, and analysis of social situations. In relation to social skills, the results suggest that bipolar patients showed an inhibited and hyper-attentive behavior in relation to the environment when compared to the controls

M.A. / The principal aim of the study was to determine whether or not certain aspects of emotional intelligence account for the difference between students' academic success or failure. Although an in-depth study of existing literature on the topic of academic prowess soon disclosed that all aspects of an individual's functioning play a part in his or her academic performance, a flaw was uncovered in this argument in terms of the link between the individual's ability to deal with emotional processes and his or her academic functioning. The present study could, therefore, be considered to be the springboard for theory-building regarding the link between aspects of emotional intelligence and academic performance. Various studies in the domain of emotions have been undertaken with a view to study the manner in which individuals evaluate, communicate and apply emotions in their bid to solve problems and to adapt to circumstances of life. Emotional intelligence can be viewed as a meta ability that co-determines the extent to which an individual develops his or her potential, acquires and hones skills (including his or her intellect) and achieves his or her objectives. The manner in which the individual processes emotional contents could, therefore, have a profound effect on all intra and interpersonal aspects of his or her functioning, including his or her academic performance. In addition, existing literature soon discloses the multidimensional nature of the concept academic success to be a complex interchange between cognitive and non-cognitive factors. The interdependency between a number of these factors often serves to complicate any attempt to study them, however, and oft-times results in inconsistent and even contradictory findings. In the present study, the part that the individual's way of coping with emotional contents plays in his or her academic performance is subjected to close scrutiny. The experimental group selected for the purposes of the present study comprised 133 students in the age group 18 to 23 enrolled for a course in Psychology 1 at the Rand Afrikaans University. The said experimental group was deemed to represent the population of Human Sciences students at this institution. Based on their final-marks for Psychology 1, these students were divided into two categories, namely students who achieved academic success and students who failed to achieve academic success. Following, both groups of students were subjected to the Emotional Intelligence Battery of tests. Hotelling's T2-test was then used to determine whether or not the mean vectors of the two groups differed from each other. The F-test was applied to determine whether or not the variances between the two independent groups were homogeneous. Student's t-test was used to determine whether or not there be a statistically significant difference between the two means in terms of the five sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery. A stepwise discriminant analysis was conducted to determine which of the five variables (viz. the Social Translations (CBT) sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence, the Hogan Empathy Scale (HIES), the Self—Control Schedule (SCS), the Neuroticism sub-scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the total score of the Adolescent Self-Concept Scale (ASCS)) to the greatest extent contributed towards the differences between the two criterion groups (viz. academically successful students; academically unsuccessful students). The results of Hotelling's T 2-test indicated that the Emotional Intelligence Battery did indeed differentiate between students who achieved academic success and those who failed to achieve academic success in the specified population. Statistically significant differences were found in the vectors of means of Group 1 (viz. students who achieved academic success) and Group 2 (viz. students who failed to achieve academic success) with respect to the five sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery taken together. Statistically significant differences were found between the means of the two groups in respect of both the Social Translations sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence and the Hogan Empathy Scale. No statistically significant differences were, however, uncovered between the means of the two groups in respect of the rest of the sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery. The results of the stepwise discriminant analysis indicated that the variables Test 1 (the Social Translations sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence) and Test 5 (the Adolescent Self-Concept Scale (ASCS)) contributed towards the discrimination between Group 1 (academically successful students) and Group 2 (academically unsuccessful students). All in all, 64.8% of the experimental subjects was correctly classified by the two variables. In the present study, research was only undertaken in respect of the link between certain aspects of emotional intelligence and academic success. The present study could, therefore, be deemed to constitude an exploratory study, as no other study has ever been undertaken in the domain of the processing of emotional content in academic success. It is recommended that future research subject academic performance to a multidimensional scrutiny, with emotional intelligence being one of the factors. Further, it is recommended that future research be undertaken to determine the skills and abilities of experimental subjects from different cultural backgrounds and of both sexes, and that a comparison be drawn between these subjects' abilities and skills and their emotional intelligence.

The research study focuses on assessment in Mathematics in Grade 10. The purpose is to identify problems which educators are experiencing in the assessment of Mathematics and to find possible solutions for the problems. This will enable the researcher to develop guidelines for facilitators at District Offices which in turn will contribute to more effective guidance and support for educators regarding assessment in Mathematics. The implementation of the National Curriculum Statement (“NCS”) in Grade 10 with a focus on outcomes-based assessment necessitates changes in the assessment practices in Mathematics. The literature examined views at the nature of Mathematics, constructivism and approaches to learning in Mathematics over the past century, outcomes-based education in the “NCS” and outcomes-based assessment in Mathematics. A pragmatic philosophy was followed. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used in the study. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative information and interviews made it possible to collect qualitative information. Questionnaires and interviews were administered, analysed and interpreted. From the analyses of the questionnaires, it was found that there is the perception that Mathematics is a subject with fixed knowledge, procedures and formulae. The educator still plays the dominant role in assessment and learners are passive in the construction of knowledge. The findings of the study revealed that the recording of outcomes-based assessment is too much and is time consuming. From the interviews it was found that the biggest changes that occurred in the Mathematics classroom because of the “NCS” were the assessment forms, - instruments and - methods. Factors that influence the assessment results in Mathematics are language, time, background and attitude of the learner and the training and experience of the educator. The recommendations of the researcher, based on the findings of the study, focus on the development of guidelines for assessment in Mathematics. The guidelines and recommendations are in the following areas: · Cognitive levels for the development of assessment tasks in Mathematics; · Outcomes in the determining of assessment strategies; · Daily assessment and formal assessment; · The development of assessment strategies; · The process of assessment; · Practical steps in the preparation of the assessment techniques; and · Guidance and support with regard to assessment to the teacher. Though the educators in this study could not solve many problems in assessment, bad planning and time-management created some of the problems. Furthermore, educators received guidelines for assessment from facilitators at District Offices, but they did not make it their own. Some educators did not take the responsibility to do research themselves and failed to adjust their assessment strategies. However, District Officials can still play a crucial role in initiating in-service training and projects that will focus on assessment. Furthermore, if facilitators at District Offices have good insight into the problems which educators are experiencing in Mathematics, they can guide and support educators effectively in the assessment processes in their classrooms. Good application of assessment in the Mathematics classroom, definitely contributes to improved quality of teaching of the subject and consequently a more skillful learner in the community. / Prof. J. Strauss

M.A. / Traditional measures often used in the assessment of cognitive functions of individuals, are regarded as unsuitable for two reasons. Firstly, since a particular language is utilized in the test items and instructions of most cognitive tests, the overall lower verbal test scores of culturally diverse individuals often is an indicator of poor verbal knowledge and language proficiency that in effect has a bearing on an invalid lower Full Scale IQ score. The verbal item content fail to provide important information regarding the potential learning and reasoning abilities of a person from a different culture. Secondly, due to past standardization practices in the construction of measuring instruments, important elements regarding the cultural relevance of the content of the measures, have often failed to be included. In order to address such problems, this research examined the suitability of the S.O.N.-R 5 % - 17 according to three objectives: (a) to cognitively assess the non-verbal intelligence of 400 secondary school children from four culturally diverse groups in the Johannesburg metropolitan area, viz. Afrikaans-, English-, Sotho- and Zulu-speaking learners who are in grades 8-10; (b) to determine whether home language, grade level, socio-economic status (SES), gender, handedness and the use of visual aids (spectacles/contact lenses) were important variables in determining subtest total scores; and (c) to determine the appropriateness of the S.O.N.-R 5%- 17 for local use in terms of its psychometric properties, viz. reliability (internal consistency) as well as its construct and predictive validity. Apart from providing the developmental aspects pertaining to the cognitive development of adolescents, other important theoretical aspects of intelligence were discussed from a cross-cultural perspective in reference to various conceptual frameworks from which intelligence was viewed as a function of the internal (innate) psychological processes of the individual and the external (socio-cultural) psychological processes of the individual. An outline based on the psychometric and cultural implications for such theories of intelligence was also delineated in an effort to define the concept of intelligence as related to culture-fair testing.