Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-120).

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Human Resources Management)-Dept. of Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, 2008. ix, 132 leaves / The research outlines the statement of the problem, motivation for the study and the related legislated requirements for all research in the field of psychological assessment. It will also take a closer look at related issues supporting the background of psychometric testing and present day themes and trends that are becoming prevalent in contemporary practice. There is an in-depth discussion on Personality which is one of the main foundation components of the Discus Behaviour Profiling System which is personality. Points on, ethics, translation, validity, reliability, test construction and cross cultural matters are also discussed.

D. Phil. (Industrial Psychology) / This study focused on the measurement of social desirability from a cross-cultural perspective. In applied settings industrial psychologists use social desirability scales to eliminate sources of bias or systematic error that are not relevant to the measured attribute, to identify applicants who are deliberately presenting themselves in a positive manner, to adjust personality scale scores or to flag potentially invalid personality profiles. Socially desirable responding on personality measures continues to be an important concern for researchers and practitioners due to the potentially serious consequences of response distortion in personnel selection contexts. The effect of socially desirable responding on the validity and utility of personality testing in employment settings has been extensively debated and researched internationally. However, depending on the operational definition of social desirability used and the choice of research design, research results have been mixed and at times contradictory. In addition, there is growing recognition that the cross-cultural transferability of the social desirability construct needs to be empirically examined. Furthermore, the influence of potential race and ethnic group differences in social desirability scale scores, which can lead to disproportional selection ratios, has not been sufficiently researched in South Africa. This study therefore focused on the systematic analysis of theoretical and scientific evidence relating to socially desirable responding in occupational settings across different cultures and across different personality instruments currently in use in South Africa.

M.A. (Industrial Psychology) / The South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) project is an attempt to develop an indigenous personality measure that can be applied within the South African context. Such a measure is important as test developers and users are required to meet the requirements stipulated in South African legislation. The Extraversion cluster is one of the nine factors that make up the SAPI measure. The main aim of this study was to validate the Extraversion cluster for use within South Africa which included testing for equivalence and bias amongst the Germani, Nguni and Sotho language groups. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used within the current study. Data was gathered from working South Africans (N= 891) within the Gauteng province. The preliminary Extraversion scale consists of 31 items that yielded a three factor structure, namely Sociability, Talkativeness and Positive Emotionality. The Talkativeness factor was not found to be reliable although the overall Extraversion scale was identified as reliable. It was also found that Extraversion, as the higher order factor, was valid and reliable and had greater explanatory power than that of the individual factors. The results of the study also indicated that some of the language groups viewed the factors differently and that bias did occur for several of the items across the groups.

The general purpose of this study was to do further research work with Dombrose and Slobin's Photo-Analysis Test, and to construct a comparable Photo-Analysis Test without some of the possible defects which produced the unexpected results for Dombrose and Slobin. Both tests were used for measuring impulse, ego, and superego sex differences, and Dombrose and Slobin's test was also used for comparing age group differences of both sexes, on their impulse, ego, and superego responses. This study was also expected to contribute to the psychological literature concerning the sex differences on the self-rating of conscience as a determinant of behavior, as well as sex differences on the relative strength of the impulse, ego, and superego variables. The test constructed for the present study had both male and female photographs of a broad age range, instead of male photographs only, as in Dombrose and Slobin's test. The photographs were tested for ambiguity, and the items were tested for impulse, ego, and superego content, in preliminary studies. A seven point self-rating scale was constructed according to the specifications of the literature. This scale was expected to measure conscience as a determinant of behavior, with the scores acting as an independent means of testing the test for validity. Both tests were converted into a single group test, so that the photographs could be projected on the screen by the use of a projector. The test was given to two introductory psychology classes at the University of British Columbia, of which forty-two females and fifty-five males, eighteen and nineteen years of age, remained for the statistical analysis. The subjects were expected to project impulse and superego pressures through the processes of perception, apperception, empathy, and identification. Fifty hypotheses were set up for testing the experimental results, and both the Chi-square and t tests were used for testing the hypotheses. Fifteen hypotheses, which affected Dombrose and Slobin's test only, only demanded the results to be in the predicted direction and position in order to be verified. The other hypotheses had to be supported at the .05 level of confidence in order to be verified. The results show that the test constructed for the present study is a useful instrument for measuring impulse and ego sex differences, but not superego sex differences. Dombrose and Slobin1s test was not able to differentiate in the predicted direction between the sexes on any of the critical variables. The results from Dombrose and Slobin's test on the male age group differences were no better than could be expected by chance alone. The two female age groups, that were compared, verified the hypotheses set up for the impulse and ego variables, but not those set up for the superego variable. Since only two female age groups were compared, no definite conclusions can be formulated for the impulse, ego, and superego variables. The male photographs elicited more impulse and fewer ego and superego responses, from both male and female subjects, than the female photographs, but the superego differences were not significant statistically. Only the females produced more impulse and fewer ego responses in response to Dombrose and Slobin's test than in response to the female photographs. The male response was not in the predicted direction on any of the critical variables, when the responses to Dombrose and Slobin's photographs and the female photographs were compared. Both tests differentiate fairly well among the male groups which had been grouped on the basis of their own self-rating of conscience as a determinant of behavior. Dombrose and Slobin's test, however, differentiated much better than the test constructed for the present study when similar female groups were compared, but the differences were in the predicted direction only on the impulse and ego variables. Both tests appear to be measuring different things in males and females, and the superego variable differentiates poorest of the three critical variables. These tests, however, do appear to be measuring more than overt behavior, and seem to be getting at underlying psychodynamics. In general, the test constructed for the present study seems to be an improvement over Dombrose and Slobin's test. The self-rating scale seems to be a valid instrument for measuring conscience as a determinant of behavior for both sexes. It is suggested that more research work be done with both the Photo-Analysis Test and the self-rating scale. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

M.A. (Psychology) / The concept of field dependence-field independence was developed by H.A. Witkin. Witkin and almost all subsequent researchers implicitly assumed that field dependence and field independence are bipolar opposites of a single underlying continuum. Resent research (O'Hara, 1985), however, suggested the possibility that field dependence and field independence are two independent constructs. The principal goal of the present study was to determine the cognitive and personality correlates of field dependence and field independence. To investigate the stated problem, a battery of 21 psychometric tests was administered to a stratified sample of 303 first year university students at the Rand Afrikaans University. The battery consisted of the newly constructed Field Dependence Inventory, Hidden Figures Test, Social Intelligence Test, Pattern Relations Test, and Jackson Personality Inventory. In order to ascertain whether the sample of students could be classified into (more than two) natural classes in terms of field dependence and field independence, a cluster analysis was performed. The Field Dependence Inventory served as a measure of field dependence, and the Hidden Figures Test, as a measure of field independence. These tests were used as input variables to the cluster analysis. Four classes were established. Differences in means between the four classes, in terms of the cognitive variables, were investigated by means of the Social Intelligence Test, and Pattern Relations Test. Personality differences were investigated by means of the Jackson Personality Inventory. The differences in means between the four classes, were investigated by means of a multivariate analysis of variance, one-way analyses of variance, and Scheffe's multiple comparisons...

M.A. / The divorce rate in South Africa has reached alarming proportions. In 1994 alone, 29 878 divorces were reported in South Africa, and a total of 38 367 children were traumatised by these divorces. Despite this, most people still marry, or want to marry. Marriage is one of the most important and meaningful relationships we can have as human beings. It enriches our lives and provides fulfillment and companionship. Many couples entering into the marital relationship are not aware of the demands of marriage, and especially of the demands of modern marriages where marital roles are new and different. Marriage enrichment is a movement to help couples.to respond to these demands. Enrichment programs teach partners interpersonal skills and build empathetic respect between individuals within the marital relationship. Although there are many marriage enrichment programs currently in use, there seems to be not one in South Africa that is based on the concepts of personality type differences. The aim of this study was to develop a marriage enrichment program based on the concepts of personality type, as indicated by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The focus was to educate couples in personality type differences, thereby creating self-awareness and awareness of others, and enabling them to better understand themselves and their spouses. The program was designed and developed and then trial-tested on two groups of volunteers consisting of two couples in each group. Feedback received yielded positive results, and the participants found the program to be useful and valuable in their own relationships.

No description available.

The relationship of anxiety in both its state and trait manifestation to simple motor performance has been established in a number of studies. The present study is an attempt to extend these relationships to more complex motor performances, that is, to the level of a unitary group of motor habits such as is present in an athletic task. In doing this the present study utilizes not only direct assessments of both state and trait anxiety, but also assessment of certain personality traits which may be important in mediating the expression of anxiety and activation level.