Throughout the world, infants and toddlers are spending less time with mothers and more time with peers than ever before, mainly in different kinds of day care. This changing pattern of child care may affect the early development of social competence which is seen as important for social, emotional and intellectual growth. It would therefore be valuable to know in what way different aspects of social competence are influenced by mothers and by peers. The degree of compliance shown by infants and their ability to co-operate in tasks and games have been found to be important indices of social competence. This study observed 48 infants in dyadic interaction, first with their mothers (Situation 1) and then with a familiar peer (Situation 2), as they engaged in a co-operative game. The aim was to assess differences, similarities and possible continuities between the mother-infant and peer systems in children of four age groups (AGs) : AG1 - 37 to 61 weeks7 AG2 - 62 to 86 weekS7 AG3- 87 to 111 weeks7 AG4 - 112 to 136 weeks. Recording was by videotape. Analysis involved the coding of 56 behaviours in three broad areas : mothers' teaching behaviours, children's behaviours with mothers, and peer behaviours. The group was composed of singletons (N=34) and twins (N=14). Singletons were observed over all four age groups, twins over AG1 and AG2 only, and sexes were analysed separately over AG3 and AG4. Behaviours were also compared over both Situations. Reliability was calculated in three ways, giving means of intra- and inter-observer agreement of .92, .82 and .87. Meaningful groups of behaviours were analysed with two-tailed tests of significance. Univariate analysis with multiple independent variables were used for singletons' behaviours over all age groups. Behaviours showing significant differences were analysed for trend and for differences between age groups. Manovas were used for all other comparisons. Correlations were examined between selected behaviours. Differences in mothers' teaching strategies over the age groups were found. Two behaviours which did not show age-related or situation- related differences are discussed, as well as different reactions to these behaviours by mothers and peers. Findings from research with singletons were comfirmed. Differences were found between the behaviours of mothers of singletons and mothers of twins, which suggest that the mothers of twins are not as skilled as mothers of singletons in playing with one child in a dyadic situation. Findings by Savic (1980) are confirmed that twins find the peer situation less stimulating than singletons do, and that twins are more advanced than singletons are in social competence. Sex differences were found suggesting that boys are involved in more active experiences, whereas girls are associated with more passive ones. Analysis of sequences of behaviours suggested that this method was more suitable than analysis of discrete interactions for the observation of complex behaviours such as engagement. It also showed that game-playing did not have the same characteristics in the mother-infant and the peer situations, and comparisons with other research findings are made. No indication was found that the skills taught by mothers were carried over entirely without modification to the peer situation, but other suggestions of possible continuities are discussed. Children's game-playing behaviours were found to be extensions of their own creativity as apparently elicited by experience with peers. The effect on this creativity of the existence and the quality of peer friendships is discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1983.

It is proposed that young children who already have some degree of linguistic ability will use various verbal information-gathering strategies to enhance that ability. Specifically, it is suggested that such children formulate hypotheses about the meanings of words and that they use language in various ways to elicit feedback from others as to the accuracy of these hypotheses. A selective review of the literature on cognitive and language development provided a theoretical framework within which to pose this problem and from which guidelines for data analysis could be drawn. The aim of the study was to identify the use of various verbal information-gathering strategies in individual children. This was done by recording sequences of interactions involving individual children and various others and then examining the transcripts of these recordings for regularities which suggested the use of such strategies. Verbal information-gathering strategies were thus initially identified by noting regularities amongst those interactions where a child appeared to be seeking information about language. Four such strategies were found to be used by all three children who participated in the study. Other strategies were found to be specific to one individual or to two of the children who were siblings. Once these strategies were identified, the data was analyzed for individual instances of each strategy. Discussion of the use of these strategies includes consideration of the role of questions, selective imitation, naming or stating and metaphor in language development. The relationships among concept formation, memory and language development are also briefly explored. Further support for the view of the young child as testing hypotheses about word meanings came from the observation that two of the children showed a definite preoccupation with the meanings of certain words on various occasions throughout the study. While the findings of the study show that these three children did use various verbal information gathering strategies, it remains to be shown how important such strategies are for language development and what roles may be played by different strategies. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1984

The study examined the differential effect of cognitive and affective fraternal relative deprivation (RD) on protest orientation. The subjects were 120 Indian adults comprising 60 professionals and 60 non-professionals. Cantril's (1965) ladder was used to tap cognitive fraternal RD. A list of six emotions gauged affective fraternal RD and the Muller (1972) and Grofman and Muller (1973) measure of potential for collective violence assessed protest orientation. Results show that blacks are perceived to be worse-off, whites better-off and coloureds similar to the ingroup. Professionals experience a greater absence of cognitive fraternal RD than nonprofessionals when the target comparison groups are blacks and coloureds, and greater affective fraternal RD than non-professionals when the target comparison groups are blacks and whites. To examine the effect of cognitive fraternal RD, affective fraternal RD and occupational status on protest orientation, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted. The model revealed that 35% of the variance was significantly accounted for (p<0.05). The affective component contributed the greater proportion of the variance. The results highlight the importance of differentiating the cognitive from the affective component of fraternal RD. The limitations of the study are considered and directions for future research are offered. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1991.

In this study a rationale is provided for the need for integrative sychometric studies in addition to exploratory studies. The psychometric concepts of validity, reliability, test comparability and bias are reviewed. Furthermore the concepts of the nomological network and meta-analysis are reviewed with regard to their relevance for integrating findings of psychometric research. The historical origins of the Intermediate Mental Alertness Test (IMAT) are traced with a view to distinguishing it from a number of related tests. Psychometric information is summarised from a wide cross-section of both published and unpublished studies on the IMAT, and the findings of these studies are reviewed in terms of the reliability and validity of the IMAT across different contexts and groups. It is found that there are an insufficient number of validity studies using similar criteria for the meta-analysis technique to be applied. An attempt is therefore made to interpret trends from the research studies reviewed, and recommendations are provided in terms of reporting standards for future validity studies in order to facilitate integrative research techniques such as meta-analysis. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

The study was undertaken to assess the relationship between social experience and moral reasoning, and to examine two aspects of Kohlberg's universality claims. The participants were 81 South Africans; comprising 40 Blacks and 41 Whites drawn from four age groups. Moral reasoning was measured by means of The Standard Issue Scoring Manual (Colby et al.,1987 a,b). Social experience was measured by means of various self devised instruments. Results revealed that aside from the 19 - 28 age group there were no significant differences in level of moral reasoning between blacks and whites. Furthermore, blacks and whites showed no significant differences in the use of autonomous moral judgements. On the moral orientations, blacks and whites showed some differences in their pattern of responses. Results also revealed significant age differences in level of moral reasoning, moral orientations and moral type. On the measures of social experience, whites were found to have a more advantaged social experience than blacks. An examination of how social experience and moral reasoning, and age and moral reasoning were related, revealed that irrespective of race, the variables that were consistently related to moral reasoning, were age and education. The combination of variables that best predicted level of moral reasoning were found to be age and social index for whites, and education for blacks. The findings of the present study also provided some support for Kohlberg's universality claims. The results were discussed in relation to the findings of past research and the social realities within the South African context. Limitations of the present study were considered and suggestions were made concerning further research. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1992.

Using concepts derived from Social Identity theory, this study investigated the impact of status, perceived legitimacy/illegitimacy and perceived stabiliity/instability on intergroup bias in a real-life intergroup situation between blacks and whites in South Africa. The sample consisted of 369 students registered at the University of Natal, Durban. Of the total, 208 subjects were used exclusively in preliminary testing necessary for the development of the questionnaire. The independent variables, status, perceived legitimacy/illegitimacy and perceived stability/instability, were assessed by means of the group perception ladder; this being an adapted version of Cantril's (1965) Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. An attitude scale for black-white relations was also constructed and administered as a check on the validity of the group perception ladder. The dependent measure was the degree of ingroup bias displayed in (i.) voting preferences among four candidates (2 whites and 2 blacks) standing in a mock faculty council election, (ii) evaluation of these candidates .on a list of trait scales, (iii) number of student residence rooms allocated to ingroup and outgroup, (iv) relative desirability of the rooms allocated to each group and (v) the degree of integration shown in the allocation of rooms to each group. Both the independent and dependent measures were compiled into a questionnaire, carefully randomized according to a Latin-square arrangement. This questionnaire was then administered to a group of 161 paid student volunteers of all races. Participants were unaware that race was a subject of interest. A system of colour coding was used to identify the race of the subject . The data' from Indian and 'coloured' volunteers was discarded from the analysis, Since blacks and whites formed the racial categorizations selected for investigation.. The data from 70 blacks and 70 whites was analysed using the statistical technique of multiple linear regression. A statistically significant pattern of results was found on two of the dependent measures, namely, ingroup bias in voting preferences and degree of integration. The findings provided partial support for the predictions of Soc i a I I dentity theory. Under conditions where stability / instability was found to have a significant effect, the perception of instability generally resulted in an enhancement of ingroup bias. A significant effect for status was only found when the status relations were perceived as legitimate. Perceived legitimacy was found to be more salient in the low status group; eliciting a stronger reaction from its members. In both the high and low status groups those who perceived the social stratification as illegitimate were found to display lesser ingroup bias than comparable others who believed that the status system is legitimate. While social Identity theory predicts such a trend for high status groups, the similar findings in the low status group is contrary to the theory. These results were evaluated against the backdrop of several methodological and practical problems associated with the research. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1986.

The purpose of this study is to use Adams' Equity Theory in order to examine the underlying processes/factors influencing absenteeism. Two primary issues were investigated. One was to examine the potential relationship between the perception of inequity and absenteeism. The second was to examine the potential relationship between the demographic characteristics of the perceiver and the perception of inequity and equity. A random stratified sample of 110 was drawn from automotive component manufacturing companies in KwaZulu-Natal. A specifically constructed questionnaire comprising of a biographical data section and another on assessing perceptions of inequity was administered. Data was analysed using SPSS. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results indicated a significant relationship between the perception of inequity and absenteeism rates. Therefore, participants who perceived an inequitable situation in the workplace were absent more often than participants who perceived an equitable situation. Furthermore a significant relationship was found between age and tenure and the perception of inequity. Participants who perceived inequity were in the 31-35 age group and had been employed by their current company for between 6-10 years. No relationship was found between the biographical characteristics of gender, ethnic background, educational levels and the perception of inequity and equity. A major limitation of the study was access to historical absenteeism data of the participants. In order to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics that underlie the relationship between perceived inequity in the workplace and behavioural reactions such as absenteeism, within a South African context, further research on the application of the theory must be done in future. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The thesis is the rhetorical development of a model of the utterance (principally) and of narrative (secondarily). The utterance is treated as the basic unit of human be-ing and therefore the basic analytic unit for social science. The starting motivation for the thesis is to provide a philosophical and methodological foundation upon which persons and people can be re-conceived in multiple and constructive renderings. The thesis draws on the collective works of Mikhail Bakhtin to generate new diction with which to characterize the model. First the model is stated, then six arguments to which the model is in answer are developed, finally the model is put into practice in nine analytics of data. Data from 65 editions of ‘letters to the editor’ of the Daily News newspaper are used as prototypes to demonstrate prosaic intertexting as an analytic model. Each letter to the editor is treated as representing a possible unit of the writer’s be-ing. Prosaic intertexting is demonstrated in creating these ‘letters to the editor’ as data (utterances) as a unit of analysis for social science. What is achieved is a model of how, not what, social science should do, though there are immediate implications for the ethics of research, therapy and peace-building. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

Differentiating between organic epilepsy and psychogenic pseudoseizures is a difficult task even for experienced practitioners . Both disorders present in a similar manner and at present there are no clinical signs that distinguish between them. Latrogenesis may occur when psychogenic seizures are treated medically and sometimes aggressively in order to control seizure activity. Quality of life is negatively impacted on in both patient groups and stigmatisation and social isolation frequently occur. Psychiatric comorbidity is associated with both epilepsy and psychogenic seizures. The primary aim of this study was to explore the possibility of finding a definitive means of discriminating between the two patient groups. This study assessed quality of life and psychiatric dysfunction in both patient groups using the QOLIE-31 and the SCL-90-R instruments, respectively. The Seizure Questionnaire was used to assess qualitative aspects. The sample (n = 19) was made up of 10 females and nine males with a mean age of 30.6 years (S D = 8.9, range l8 - 44 years). One case of mixed seizures was excluded. The sample was taken from an epilepsy monitoring unit in a hospital in Durban, South Africa. On the scales of the SCL-90-R, Anxiety showed significant difference between groups and on the QOLIE-31 scales, Energy/Fatigue, Cognitive Functioning and Overall score showed significant differences. These differences were in the expected direction as found in previous research i n the literature. These trends need to be interpreted cautiously given the sample size. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.