Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / The evaluation did not attempt to establish accountability for the programme but focused on revealing information that could assist in its development and improvement. The programme’s implicit theory was articulated using information gained through programme documentation and interviews and a focus group conducted with programme stakeholders. The logic and plausibility of the resulting theory was assessed and compared to social scientific literature to reveal programme weaknesses and areas of possible improvement.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-81). / The present study aimed to understand the severe acts of violence committed by six boys from the Western Cape farming community. The six boys, aged between 8 and 13 years, were the primary participants. They were all children of farm workers. Individuals who were either connected to them as well as those who were informed about their community were also interviewed. Those connected to them included their mothers, teachers, a farm owner, a social worker, and a health worker. Those not directly related to the boys but informed about their community were: another farm owner, an educational psychologist, a school life skills programme manager, and researcher in the area of occupational health of farm workers.

Learning and memory seem to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Previous research has, however, been limited to the study of retrospective memory (i.e., episodic or declarative memory) in children with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure. Recently, memory researchers have turned their attention to the study of prospective memory (PM), or the ability to realize and act on delayed intentions, in clinical populations. There are no published studies exploring PM in FASD, however. Prospective remembering is reliant on declarative memory as well as intact executive functioning, both of which are known to be impaired in FASD. The current study aimed, therefore, to investigate event-based PM functioning in a longitudinal cohort of children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. It also aimed to investigate whether the relation between prenatal alcohol exposure and prospective memory was influenced by IQ, executive functioning, or retrospective memory.

One in three South African women will be raped in her lifetime; the gravity of this issue makes investigating factors influencing rape perpetration a crucial endeavour. Drawing on a feminist post-structuralist framework, this study is based on the assumption that how masculinity is constructed in a given context may influence some men's sexually aggressive behaviour within that context. Six focus group sessions, each consisting of between four and six male university students (with a total of 30 participants) were held, in which the reasons for why some men rape in South Africa were discussed. Focusing on constructions of masculinity and heterosex, the data was analysed using discourse analysis based on the Foucauldian notion of discourse. The data was divided into three main sections, namely 'the Discourse of the Male Sexual Drive', 'Heterosex', and 'Masculinity as Power'. Consistent with previous literature, within the data the male sexual drive was constructed as being largely out of men's control, with men depicted as not being culpable for raping when they do not have access to consensual sex; when the victim is wearing revealing clothing; or when the victim is drunk. Heterosex was also constructed as having considerably different meaning for males and females, with a clear presence of the 'sexual double standard', in which men are praised for having sex whereas women are denigrated and seen as morally lacking. The rules of heterosexual conduct were also constructed as being mediated by culture, in ways in which it was argued ignore the individual rights and responsibilities of the victims and perpetrators of sexual violence. Having power was further constructed as the principle feature of masculinity, with rape being a means of attaining power. Therefore, men without access to power in other areas (primarily poor and/or black men) were depicted as being the most likely to rape. Rape was also seen as a response to women's empowerment, as well as a mechanism through which women that are "too proud" can be humbled, and was thereby constructed as a tool through which male power over women is maintained. It is argued that some of the constructions within the data are problematic in that they support racist, classist and patriarchal ideologies; often place the blame for rape entirely onto women, whose rights are at times ignored; and remove culpability from the perpetrators of rape. The findings of this study therefore demonstrate the importance of challenging accepted rape myths and underlying assumptions about masculinity and heterosex in order to address the issue of rape in South Africa

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-109). / Background and Objective: First-year university students face many challenges during the transition to university. Some of these relate to their background and socio-demographic characteristics and others have to do with the characteristics of the universities they attend. South African first-year students may face even more challenges adjusting to university, which are linked to the country's Apartheid history. This study aimed to explore relationships between mental health, socioeconomic status and subjective social status in first-year students at four South African universities. In particular, the aims were to explore the role of subjective social status and resilience in predicting the adjustment, mental health and general health of first year university students. Method: Participants in the study (n=336) were South African first-year students who were enrolled in first year psychology courses at four universities. Two of the universities were historically advantaged, and two were historically disadvantaged. Data collection took the form an online survey as well as the distribution of printed questionnaires. A demographic questionnaire was used in addition to questionnaires, which measured students' quality of adjustment, mental health, general health, subjective social status, alcohol use and illicit substance use and resilience (Connor- Davidson Resiliency Scale). Results: A series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that place of residence was an significant predictor of the quality of their adjustment to university (R 2 =.11). Results of the multiple regression analyses also indicated that resilience was a significant predictor of mental health (R 2 = .22) and a significant predictor of general health (R2 = .11) in the sample of first-year students. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance resilience can play in predicting students' mental and general health during the transition to university. It also highlights the fact that universities should take the opportunity to provide adequate support programmes and create social networks to make the transition to university easier for students who may be at risk for poor adjustment and poor mental health and general health. In particular university residences, which provide a living environment that encourages academic and social interaction and provide a supportive atmosphere, can make the transition to university smoother for first years. 4

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-121). / There is great need for an effective neurocognitive screening tool in South Africa. The outdated and diagnostically limited Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) is currently the only widespread form of cognitive screening. This and virtually all other neurocognitive tests widely used in South Mrica were developed in Europe and North America and are inappropriate for South Africa's population. The present study aided in the development and validation of the first theory-driven neurocognitive screening tool specifically designed for South Africans, focusing on the Language and Spatial Cognition sections of the battery. Two tests - the Naming Test and the 3-D Analysis Test - were both adapted and re-piloted before their insertion into the Neurocognitive Battery ahead of its validation.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-147) / This study compares the effectiveness of two computerised composite construction systems - a holistic, recognition-based system named ID and a featural system that is utilized internationally, namely FACES. The comparison aimed to test whether ID produces better quality composites to FACES, and whether these composites could be improved with the aid of context reinstatement tehcniques, in particular guided memory. Participants (n=64) attended a staged event where they witnessed a female 'numerologist' for 20 minutes. Five weeks later they were asked to return to create a composite of the woman using either FACES or ID. Reconstructions were made in view, from memory after a South African Police interview or from memory after a guided memory interview. In addition, experts for each system constructed composites of each perpetrator. Studies have reported enhanced identification when multiple composites are combined to create a morpho. Hence, the guided memory composites for each perpetrator were morphed to create three ID and three FACES morphs. The complete set of 76 composites was then evaluated by 503 independent judges using matching and rating tasks. The study hypothesised that ID would perform better, but results suggest that the two systems performed equivalently. Results also suggest that the guided memory interview did not have the desired effect of significantly improving participants' memories of the perpetrator, and that contrary to expectations, the morphed composites performed extremely poorly and were rated the worst and identified the least. Related findings and ideas for future research are discussed.

Cross-cultural differences in cognition have been well established across the world, and differences in Individualism (IND) and Collectivism (COL) are believed to underlie the majority of these cultural variations. IND-COL measures are frequently used to categorise nations as either IND or COL and these nations are subsequently used to draw IND or COL samples for comparison on various cognitive tasks. The multicultural nature of South Africa and inconsistent findings on IND-COL in SA makes such IND-COL categorisation problematic. African nations have also been conspicuously missing from international cross-cultural research on culture and cognition. This study set out to explore the utility of IND-COL measures in South Africa, with special regard to possible racial or linguistic differences. It also set out to remedy the absence of African nations in the international literature by replicating a previous study on culture and cognition within a South African sample. The shortened HVIC scale by Triandis and Gelfand (1998) was used to explore racial and linguistic differences in terms of IND-COL within a South African university population (N = 1380). Psychometric analyses showed good reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity. Regression analysis revealed race and language as poor predictors of IND. COL prediction was marginally better, accounting for 8.2% of variance, and with African Language as a significant predictor (beta = -.432, p < .01). To address the absence of Africa in the literature, replication of the eye-tracking and memory study by Chua et al. (2005) was attempted in a South African university population (N = 52). Due to the multicultural nature of South Africa, participants were recruited and sorted according to scores on a shortened version of the HVIC into an IND group (n = 25) and a COL group (n = 27). After correcting for outliers, no significant differences were found between the two groups regarding eye-movement patterns or memory. The two SA groups did, however, differ significantly from the American group but not the Chinese group in the original study by Chua et al. (2005). Discrepancies in IND-COL research in SA are likely due to a lack of comprehensiveness in terms of the cultural tasks included in the surveys. Increasing acculturation in post-Apartheid South Africa, especially among university students, may also play a large role. Further issues regarding IND-COL measurement in South Africa, as well as issues surrounding IND-COL measurement internationally were also discussed. Methodological issues in studying the links between IND-COL and cognition within a South African context were likely the reason behind the lack of differences found in this study in terms of eye-movement patterns and memory for the two SA groups.

Present-day South Africa is still characterised by colonial- and apartheid-era patterns of urban displacement that are exacerbated by gentrification. Low-income tenants’ and evictees’ experiences of displacement and its resistance have social, spatial, psychological, and political components. Examining these components can contribute to understanding the processes and impacts of gentrification. Reclaim the City (RTC) is a young grassroots campaign that resists evictions and demands well-located affordable housing in Cape Town through protest, education, and occupation. This study investigated how RTC activists experience and resist their displacement from the gentrifying suburb of Woodstock in Cape Town. Using a critical psychological framework, data from photovoice, participant observation, and key informant interviews were collected in 2018, triangulated, and analysed using thematic analysis. This study found that participants’ experiences of displacement were characterised by being “thingified” as black low-income tenants through mistreatment by landlords, displacement from centres to peripheries, becoming invisible residents, and internalisation. This was compounded for those with intersectional vulnerabilities, such as women and African migrants. Such experiences uphold rather than contradict an apartheid spatial imaginary, encompassing the continuation of apartheid-era norms relating to psychological, spatial, and social elements of displacement into the present. While sometimes delegitimised for their illegal activities, this study illustrates how RTC activists combined strategies of building new identities, organising legal and illegal resistance to displacement, and making meaning of their occupation of a vacant building in Woodstock, to pave the way for new spatial imaginaries. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Despite its importance for the successful maturation of adolescents, relatively little is known about the development of prosocial behaviour during this life period. Attachment theory, although largely absent from the literature in this area, provides an informative theoretical description of how prosocial behaviours in response to the distress of others may be socialized. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative influence of attachment security to mothers, fathers, closest grandparents, and friends on the response to others' distress among early adolescents, via the mediation of empathic concern. Cross-sectional, quantitative survey data from 520 adolescents (aged 11-14) from 9 schools in Cape Town were used in the analyses. Zero-order correlations confirmed the expected positive relationships between attachment security to all four figures and empathic concern, as well as self-reported prosocial behaviour, but not for teacher-reported prosocial behaviour. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that empathic concern completely mediated the relation between attachment security and both self- and teacher-reported prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, when controlling for attachment security to mothers, fathers, closest grandparents and friends simultaneously, peer attachment emerged as the only significant indirect influence on self-reported prosocial behaviour. For teacher-reported prosocial behaviour, however, the indirect effect of friend attachment failed to reach significance. The results of this study provide theoretical insight into the influence of secure attachments on prosocial behaviour, and highlight the importance of supportive same-age peer relationships in adolescence.