Many studies have been performed on creativity and the measurement of creativity. However, little is known about the relationship between gender differences and creativity, particularly in South Afnca. The current study aimed to investigate the difference in creativity between boys and girls, as well as the development of creativity in late middle childhood, in the South African context. From the random sample of 1000 primary school children in late middle childhood (grade 4 to 7) of different races and socio-economic strata and from different provinces in South Africa, the questionnaires of 707 children could be used. By using a single cross-sectional design, creativity was measured with subscales of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. The results indicated low average scores of creativity in South Afncan children. No statistically significant differences in creativity scores were found between boys and girls. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences in creativity scores were found between the 9-year-old and the 10- to 12-year-old groups, except for verbal fluency, where the 10- tol2-year-old children scored higher than the 9-year-old children. Since the creativity scores were generally lower than the norms for the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, it is clear that the development of creativity in particular groups of South African children may be suboptimal and this phenomenon needs further investigation. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Many studies have been performed on creativity and the measurement of creativity. However, little is known about the relationship between gender differences and creativity, particularly in South Afnca. The current study aimed to investigate the difference in creativity between boys and girls, as well as the development of creativity in late middle childhood, in the South African context. From the random sample of 1000 primary school children in late middle childhood (grade 4 to 7) of different races and socio-economic strata and from different provinces in South Africa, the questionnaires of 707 children could be used. By using a single cross-sectional design, creativity was measured with subscales of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. The results indicated low average scores of creativity in South Afncan children. No statistically significant differences in creativity scores were found between boys and girls. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences in creativity scores were found between the 9-year-old and the 10- to 12-year-old groups, except for verbal fluency, where the 10- tol2-year-old children scored higher than the 9-year-old children. Since the creativity scores were generally lower than the norms for the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, it is clear that the development of creativity in particular groups of South African children may be suboptimal and this phenomenon needs further investigation. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Investigations regarding age-related behavioral, emotional, and social differences between younger and older groups of children with NLD remain scarce (Ozols & Rourke, 1988; Casey, Rourke, and Picard, 1991; Pelletier, Ahmad & Rourke, 2001) and have shown mixed results regarding the direction and severity of internalized and externalized behaviors. The current study explored the behavioral, emotional, and social differences between two groups of children and adolescents. The "younger" group consisted of children between the ages of 6 and 10 years of age. The "older" group consisted of children and adolescents between the ages of 11 and 16 years. Seventy two patient charts were selected for this study (males = 41, females = 31). A one factor Multivariate Analysis of Variance was run to investigate externalized and internalized age-related differences between the two groups. No age-related differences were found indicating that younger and older children may manifest the behavioral, emotional, and social characteristics of NLD in a similar manner. Additionally, results indicated that more than half of the total sample had a comorbid diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. However, results did not suggest that children and adolescents with NLD are at an increased risk for internalized psychopathology. When the NLD group was compared to a pediatric sample, it was found that the NLD group was more likely to demonstrate explosive behaviors, anxiety, and self-esteem problems. Although no significant age-related differences were found in the current study, the investigation has implications for practice as information from this study may aid clinicians in making an earlier diagnosis of NLD in children and adolescents, as well as lead to better interventions.

<p>I tidigare empatiforskning har könsskillnader studerats betydligt mer änåldersskillnader. Syftet med den aktuella undersökningen var att studera hurförmågan till empati skiljer sig mellan tonåringar, medelålders och äldre. Iundersökningen deltog 68 personer varav hälften kvinnor. Empatin varhögst i den äldsta gruppen och lägst i den yngsta för både kvinnor och män.Däremot kände tonåringarna mer för vissa känslor som mättes utanförempatiskalan. Kvinnorna i alla tre åldersgrupperna har högre empati änmännen. Att empati ökar med åldern säger samtidigt att yngre hade mindreempati. Resultaten kan tyda på att samhället blivit kallare. Avslutningsvisdiskuteras betydelsen av generationsskillnader i empati, en eventuellutveckling mot ett mindre empatiskt samhälle, samt om ungas empati kanstärkas i framtiden.<em></em></p>

We developed a novel approach that requires subjects to produce and finely tune ground reaction forces (GRFs) while standing. Using this method we were able to identify specific contributions of individual muscles and how these contributions change with the effects of age. One of the aims of this investigation was to determine whether electromyographic data in our findings was due to random muscle activation or representative of a neuromuscular control strategy. Ten healthy young adults (5 male, 5 female) with their dominant foot fixed within a boot mounted to a force platform participated twice in a target matching protocol, requiring subjects to control both the direction and magnitude of GRF along the horizontal plane while maintaining constant inferior-superior loads of 50% body-weight. Subjects were asked to manoeuvre a cursor with their dominant leg to match a series of targets projected on a screen. Targets appeared at random one at-a-time, separated by 30o around a circular trajectory. Subjects applied loads to the force platform in various horizontal directions to move the cursor while also controlling body weight. A successful target match required subjects to maintain 50% body weight and 30% of their peak horizontal load for one second. Electromyography (EMG) of eight muscles that cross the knee joint, ground reaction forces, and kinematic data were recorded for each successful match. EMG was normalized to percent maximum voluntary isometric contractions collected on an isokinetic dynamometer. Each target matching session was separated by two-three days. A random model, single measures intra-class correlation analysed the reliability for both test-retest and intra-day results, in addition to intersubject reliability. We observed moderate to high ICC values (0.60 – 0.993) for most muscles in most directions, indicating low within-subject variance. In addition, moderate to high between-subject reliability was observed in all eight muscle activation profiles, indicating subjects used similar neuromuscular control strategies to achieve the desired GRFs. Our findings support that groups who have undergone the same number of testing sessions can be compared, and that a single testing session is all that is required to compare neuromuscular control strategies used by a group to achieve target locations. The second aim of this investigation was to evaluate age related differences in neuromuscular control about the knee joint using our target match protocol. Thirty-three healthy adults (17 younger 24 years ±2, 16 older 59 years ±5), completed the same protocol evaluated above. The mean magnitude of muscle activity, specificity index, and mean direction of muscle activity were calculated in each target direction. Older adults presented with significantly lower strength in knee flexion and extension, hip abduction, and ankle plantar flexion. Significantly (p<0.25) higher mean activation magnitudes in the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, medial gastrocnemius, and tensor facia lata were also observed. Intraclass correlations (ICC) magnitudes indicate the percentage of global variance that can be explained by within subject and between trial variability. Muscle activation patterns were found to be similar in all muscles (ICC≤0.82). Similar patterns are supported by non-significant differences in mean direction of activation and muscle activation specificity. These results indicated that healthy older adults utilise different activation magnitudes for stabilising the knee while maintain similar muscle activation synergies in all muscles to younger adults.

Miljömedvetenhet är ett aktuellt ämne och samhällets normer går i en miljömedveten riktning. Eftersom tidigare forskning visat att kvinnor är mer miljömedvetna än män samt att kvinnor har en högre vilja att passa in i samhällets normer, har endast kvinnor deltagit i denna undersökning. Syftet är att utifrån en enkätundersökning ta reda på om det finns ett samband mellan kvinnors attityder till miljömedvetenhet och ålder samt strävan efter social normativitet. I undersökningen deltog 96 kvinnor och resultatet visade att ju äldre kvinnor är desto mer miljömedvetna är de samt att ju högre grad av miljömedvetenhet en kvinna har desto högre strävan efter social normativitet har hon. Resultatet visade även att är en kvinna äldre så är hon mer miljömedveten och därmed också har en högre strävan efter social normativitet. Utifrån resultatet diskuteras hur man kan arbeta med att öka förståelse för hur samhället kan få medborgarna att agera mer miljömedvetet.

I tidigare empatiforskning har könsskillnader studerats betydligt mer änåldersskillnader. Syftet med den aktuella undersökningen var att studera hurförmågan till empati skiljer sig mellan tonåringar, medelålders och äldre. Iundersökningen deltog 68 personer varav hälften kvinnor. Empatin varhögst i den äldsta gruppen och lägst i den yngsta för både kvinnor och män.Däremot kände tonåringarna mer för vissa känslor som mättes utanförempatiskalan. Kvinnorna i alla tre åldersgrupperna har högre empati änmännen. Att empati ökar med åldern säger samtidigt att yngre hade mindreempati. Resultaten kan tyda på att samhället blivit kallare. Avslutningsvisdiskuteras betydelsen av generationsskillnader i empati, en eventuellutveckling mot ett mindre empatiskt samhälle, samt om ungas empati kanstärkas i framtiden.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the relation between age, relative numerousness judgments, and summation in Western lowland gorillas. The findings indicated that most of the gorillas did not perform relative numerousness judgments until after specific training to do so. However, the gorillas did perform summation without specific training and an age-related difference was apparent.

This dissertation investigated different factors contributing to age differences in working memory (WM) performance. Younger and older adults participated in five experiments, four on visuospatial WM (VSWM) and one on verbal WM. All addressed methodological issues that may differentially lower older adults’ performance. Experiments 1a and 1b manipulated the administration of a VSWM span task, with participants performing the task under either an ascending format (shortest sets presented first), or an interference-reducing descending format (longest sets presented first). Older adults’ performed significantly better in the descending compared to ascending format, consistent with an age-related susceptibility to proactive interference (PI). By contrast, younger adults did better in the ascending compared to descending condition, possibly due to their ability to benefit from practice and strategy use when easier trials are presented first. Experiment 2 considered how the similarity of task material influenced the build-up of PI and whether or not the combination of two PI-reducing manipulations (i.e., descending format and distinct trials) would further improve older adults’ performance. Distinctiveness helped older adults on the ascending format; however, combining distinct trials and a descending format provided no additional benefit. Experiment 3 considered whether or not synchronizing a VSWM task with an individual’s circadian arousal pattern would moderate interference effects, with the task administered at a peak or off-peak time of day. Peak-time administration improved older adults’ performance on the descending, but not the ascending, condition. Experiment 4 investigated the possibility that the serial order requirement of many WM tasks contributes to age differences in performance. Younger and older adults participated in a verbal WM span task – Operation Span - under either serial order or free recall instructions. Typical age differences were found when order but not free recall was required. Further analyses of the order condition data revealed that older adults were, in fact, recalling the items just as well as young adults, only not in the correct order. Taken together, the findings strongly suggest that age differences found on typical WM span tasks are influenced by numerous factors, such as task presentation, individual circadian arousal patterns, material similarity, and recall instructions.

No description available.