The present study forms part of a continual process of ongoing research based on the assumptions and principles of Pascual-Leone's neo-Piagetian Theory of Constructive Operators. Pascual-Leone proposes a model of development that has as its main postulate a quantitative parameter (M-power) which, together with other operators, is held to account for the qualitative logical-structural competencies characteristic of the epistemic subject at each successive Piagetian developmental stage. The present study was designed to assess, via the use of the Compound Stimulus Visual Information (CSVI) task, the role of executive processing on performance. The aim of the study was to ascertain the effect on performance if subjects are trained to use arousal executives and temporal executives that maximize the application of M-power and increase the number of times subjects attend and respond to the compound stimulus. All subjects (N =114) were Zulu-speaking children aged 11 (N =59) and 13 (N =55) years living in a township (Indaleni) adjacent to Richmond (Natal). Subjects in each of the two age groups were randomly assigned to three experimental groups (arousal-temporal; temporal-arousal; and control) in accord with the order in which they received executive training between the three CSVI tests administered. ii The most striking feature of the results is the contrast between training, learning, and developmental effects. Niether the arousal nor temporal training appears to have effected performance although clear developmental effects were evident, with older subjects consistently performing at higher levels than younger subjects on the first look of the CSVI. This is not the case for repeated looks or for the second look of the first CSVI, for which older and younger subjects perform at the same level. However, for both first and repeated looks strong learning effects are evident across the three CSVI tests with performance improving from an initial underperformance to overperformance on the final CSVI. This suggests that subjects learn strategies that enable them to lower the task demands across looks. In investigating this possibility a comparison was made between the theoretically anticipated proportion of "new" and "repeat" responses and those actually obtained. This comparison clearly indicates the use of some strategy on the part of both 11 and 13 year-olds which significantly reduces the number of repeats made. This, in turn, effectively increases the M-power available for new responses on repeated exposure of the stimulus compound. This improved performance of subjects on repeated testing suggests that tasks cannot be made equivalent across subjects unless the subjects have the opportunity to engage in the task Hi and thereby generate strategies appropriate to meet the task demands. Further, the self-generation of strategies and the marked degree of individual variation evident within the present study suggests that these must be investigated in the light of the interrelation between contextual/individual factors and postulated structural invarients such that a clearer understanding of the interaction between inter- and intra-individual processes becomes possiable. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1989.

Three questionnaires were administered to 75 workers and 75 middle managers in the Durban-based Portnet business unit of Transnet. The aims of this administration were the following: * to establish whether there is any relationship between perceived stress and general health within a single occupational group of middle managers and workers separately (horizontal comparisons). * to find out if there are any differences between the perceived stress, coping strategies and the general health of the middle managers and that of the workers (vertical comparisons). It was found that the relationship between high levels of perceived stress and the general health is very weak. This was attributed to the effectiveness of the coping strategies used by the members of the two occupational groups in their work environment. Significant differences between middle managers and workers on perceived stress, coping strategies and the general health were also established. These differences were ascribed to the different content and contextual work dimensions existing in these two occupational levels. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1993.

Increasingly, same-sex couples are choosing to become parents. According to Patterson (1992, cited in Mallon, 1997), it is estimated that in the United States of America alone, there are between six and 14 million children being raised by gay and lesbian couples. This study explored the experiences of same-sex parents as they moved through the adoption process, and once they had become parents. Two couples (a gay male couple and a lesbian couple) were interviewed. The study used an ecological theoretical framework in order to understand the myriad influences on the individuals' and couples' experiences. The Voice-Centred Relational Method (Mauthner & Doucet, cited in Ribbens & Edwards, 1998) was used to analyse the data qualitatively. Major themes that emerged from the data include the ways in which parents negotiate roles with partners, the impact of societal reactions (and heteronormativity) on the couples, the quality of relationships between family members and the influence that these had on the couples' experience of parenting. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

Sibling research in the past twenty years has moved away from a focus on particular variables such as sex differences, birth order, and rivalry, to a more searching investigation of the influences of sibling interaction. In this study the contribution of sibling dyads to cognitive growth is explored. Of particular interest were the implications of learning style for academic performance. To investigate the informal learning context of black township children from an ecological perspective, the household family structure and community networks are also considered. Twenty eight sibling dyads were divided into two groups on the basis of tutor's age. The older group comprised ten to thirteen year olds, and the younger group six to nine year olds. Each tutor had a younger sibling, not attending pre-school, who was the tutee for the tasks. Tutor-pairs were presented with puzzle-tasks designed to test Western-type academic competencies. Videotaped interactions were subjected to a behavioural micro-analysis coded into seven categories, originally devised for a previous study of mother-child interaction that utilised the same tasks, and adapted to highlight certain teaching strategies. Vygotsky's (1978) zone of proximal development provides the matrix for the discussion of results in conjunction with Feuerstein's (1980) concept of mediated learning experiences which are interpreted within a multicultural context. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the findings are presented in terms of teaching style. Age and sex differences are discussed. Comparisons are made between this study, other local studies, and an American sample. Related research findings, including crosscultural studies, are considered in relation to the particular problems of black education. Home interviews yielded information about educational and occupational levels in the community studied. These provide the setting for sibling transmission of culture. Family caretaking roles reveal a broad social base for urban blacks, with siblings contributing a substantial proportion. Educational perspectives, as well as future research possibilities, are considered. The results suggest that despite the limitations of child tutors due to varying maturational factors, siblings can offer a unique resource for promoting and extending intrafamilial cognitive growth, particularly for a society in transition. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1986.

Wilderness therapy is emerging as a promising approach in helping adolescents (Higgens, 1999), even though many questions about this mode of therapy remain unanswered. Although there is a substantial body of research examining wilderness therapy on a range of different participants, very few studies investigate the effects of these programmes on participants from more traditional (i.e. African or Eastern) cultures and contexts. A number of wilderness experience programmes (WEPs) are currently being run throughout South Africa, targeting various groups. This study aims to examine the outcomes of one such programme on a group of young South Africans. A quantitative, quasi-experimental approach was taken in the research design, data collection and analysis. Data was collected from two nonrandomised groups (an experimental and a control group). The experimental group attended a two-night, three-day WEP, while the control group attended an adjusted school programme. Data collection occurred on three occasions. There was an initial pre-test before the WEP and two post-tests subsequent to it. This study supports some positive outcomes to a WEP. Specifically, there was a significant increase in psychological adjustment and resilience initially after the WEP; however this effect was only sustained at the two month follow-up test for the former. No significant differences were observed in the control group. It is evident from the literature review that there is an immense healing potential in wilderness environments, and that there are apparent benefits to wilderness therapy. The difficulties arise when attempting to investigate, identify and understand these effects. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

The present study is part of a larger project currently in progress, which addresses the interface between epistemology and method. The work of the philosophers Paul Ricoeur, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Jurgen Habermas constitute secondary sources in the master project which is focussed on the process of discovery in the works of Darwin, Marx and Freud. The specific aim of the present study may be stated as an attempt to explicate the conditions which make possible the interpretation of meaningful human action; this endeavour is approached by means of a critical investigation of Ricoeur's theory of, and methodological proposals for, the interpretation of action. Ricoeur's central thesis for the social sciences is that a literary text is analogous to the object of these sciences, namely meaningful human action. The validity of this analogy for the discipline of socio-psychology is investigated in the present study in terms of the primary dialectic which Ricoeur proposes between 'distanciation' and 'appropriation'. Thus Ricoeur's hermeneutical theory serves as the main data base in the present study. Other data bases include video-recordings of mother-child transactions during problem solving tasks (in this sense the tasks represent, for the dyad, an object of interpretation); the transcript of a discussion between the author and a mother who also formed part of a problem-solving dyad; and the transcript of a discussion between four analysts engaged in the process of interpreting mother-child dyads during their engagement in problem-solving activity. Ricoeur's proposals for the interpretation of action are applied to the above data bases and the outcome is presented and discussed. While Ricoeur's theory provides certain methodological insights, particular problems are encountered with regard to the application of the theory to socio-psychological data. These problems focus on the role of an actor's intentions in the process of the interpretation of action and on the relevance of the socio-historical circumstances. in which the action investigated is produced, and in which the interpretative act proceeds. In concluding the project, proposals for a theory-method of the interpretation of action are presented in which Ricoeur's methodological proposals and the conclusions reached in the present study, are integrated. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1987.

The series of papers in this dissertation are aimed at testing evolutionary hypotheses concerning the adaptive advantages of religious values or experiences, a gender difference in purpose in life and the evolutionary relationship between deception and self-deception. Explanations are argued for in terms of their consequences for evolutionary fitness contributing to individual survival within the human species. Darwin's theory of natural selection within the framework of evolutionary psychology provides the theoretical background for the study. In psychology as well as in other social sciences, Darwinian theories of natural and sexual selection have been undergoing a revival with a significant upsurge of an interest in evolutionary psychology as a unifying paradigm for the understanding of human functioning as a living organism, optimising its fitness to survive the exigencies of environmental and social selection pressures. The broad or covering hypothesis addressed is that religious values or experiences, purpose in life, deception and self-deception each involve a kind of consciousness or strategic cognitive process that has evolved through the operation of natural selection due to its importance and worth for the survival of the individual. The study is empirical, conducted by using the technique of secondary analysis on the data yielded by the World Values Survey collected in 43 countries in its second wave of 1990 to 1993 as well as on a South African dataset containing variables of interest to the second and third papers of this dissertation. National aggregate data has been obtained from the United Nations Development Reports for the corresponding years under study. Findings showed a significantly positive relationship between religious values and evolutionary fitness promoting factors derived by factor analysis; a significantly greater purpose in life in females as compared to males; and a significantly positive relationship between deception and self-deception. However, the relationship between deception and evolutionary fitness promoting factors, derived by factor analysis, was inconclusive. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, 1999.

Adolescent development and adjustment are matters of serious concern not only for parents but also to those involved in education and in the welfare of young people as well as in the progress of our society. Youth represent the energy of the present and hope for the future. However, very little is known about the needs, attitudes, interests and growth potentials of black adolescents in South Africa due to the scarcity of research done in this field. The broad aim of the present study, was to identify and gain understanding of the social sources of influence on adolescent cognitive development as reflected in their value system, their reported role models and anti-models; and. their sources of information about these models. The sample consisted of 409 std 9 female (N = 218) and male (N = 196) pupils selected from two High Schools in Umlazi (N = 203), one High School in KwaMashu (N = 88) and two high schools in KwaNgwanase (N = 118). Subjects from Umlazi and KwaMashu constituted the urban sample (N = 291) and subjects from KwaNgwanase constituted the rural sample (N = 118). Subjects responses to a questionaire were content analysed and the following prominent values were discernible : Educational, Occupational, Altruistic and to a lesser extent Material. The most salient models and antimodels reported were people between the ages of 26 to 35 years, non-relatives, who were known to subjects though Personal Contact. Models were admired mostly for their Social Attributes. The anti-models were rejected because of their negative Social Characteristics. Admired models belonged mostly to the category of Service or Other professions. Antimodels belonged mostly to the category of the unemployed. Sex differences in subjects' responses were observed. Minor differences in the responses of subjects from different geographical, parental educational and occupational backgrounds also appeared to exist. The work presented in this study represents the present researcher's original input.However, quotations and other theoretical information from literature have been used and acknowledged to highlight and clarify major concepts persued by the researcher. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

Infection control practices are a critical element in home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS. It involves principles and procedures used to minimize the risk of spreading infections in home-based care. Infection control practices help to prevent morbidity, mortality rates and improve health for the volunteer caregivers and the patients. However, most previous studies on home-based care have focused on burdens of care, perceptions of rewards, quality of care and challenges faced by caregivers. Therefore, it is not clear how and to what extent infection control practices are carried out in home-based care. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of home-based care coordinators and volunteer caregivers regarding infection control practices in home-based care. Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten home-based care coordinators/project managers and ten focus group discussions were conducted with volunteer caregivers. An interview guide and a focus group schedule with open ended questions were used. Volunteer caregivers in home-based care organizations were faced with practical challenges regarding infection control practices that posed a threat to their work and health. The received insufficient infection control material resources such as gloves, masks and sanitizers. They also mentioned to have received poor quality gloves that easily broke, poor quality aprons that were not tight; easily blown by the wind and also thin masks that could not filter the bad odour. Other challenges that they faced included, insufficient water supply; insufficient knowledge on infection control and lack of cooperation from some patients and some family members regarding the use of protective clothing especially gloves and masks. Most volunteer caregivers were ridiculed by some family, community members and friends. Sometimes they could not access some patient due to HIV related stigma and discrimination. However, volunteers developed various strategies of dealing with these challenges such as replacing the torn gloves with plastics, carrying 2.5 litres of water, educating patients and family members about the importance of wearing gloves and practicing infection control. These findings require the government, NGOs, funders and donors to form a forum with volunteer caregivers to discuss the supply of materials. They need to establish a central administration that will be responsible for allocating adequate and quality materials for infection control practices. This central administration should also be responsible for supervising HBCOs including monitoring and evaluating infection control practices. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Teachers play a pivotal role in the education system and in society at large. With this in mind, the government should address their particular needs. In the context of positive psychology, issues of happiness and subjective well-being could lead to increased educational outcomes and general health. The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship between orientations to happiness and subjective well-being and to determine whether the orientations to happiness hold predictive value for satisfaction with life. A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. A sample of 175 (N=175) teachers in Swaziland was used. Three demographic questionnaires were used: the Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire (OHS) (Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) to measure subjective well-being, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) (Goldman & Hillier, 1979) as well as a biographical questionnaire. Results indicated that pleasure and engagement (subscales of orientations to happiness) were positively correlated with satisfaction with life. General health subscales, somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, and severe depression had a negative relationship with satisfaction with life. Of the three orientations, pleasure was found to have predictive value for life satisfaction. Implications of the findings on the relationships between orientations and subjective well-being for helping teachers to promote a more satisfying life are discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.