Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study explored the dynamics of guide dog ownership from a psychological point of view. The research was explorative in nature and employed two historically distinct methodologies of enquiry (both quantitative and qualitative). This explorative study relied on a very comprehensive literature review, which combined literature from three distinct fields of research: disability research, psychofortology and the human-animal interaction. Based on this literature review, three research questions were formulated. The first part of the study focused on the concept of well-being. The first two research questions dealt with the question of whether differences exist between the well-being of persons with blindness and guide dog ownership and persons with blindness without guide dog ownership. These two questions were answered in a quantitative fashion by employing Ryff’s Scales of Psychological wellbeing (1989) to two naturally occurring groups (n = 65). In general, no group differences emerged, but the properties of the questionnaire and some confounding may have skewed the results. The final research question explored the lived experience of anticipating and owning a guide dog in a qualitative fashion. Two interviews were conducted with each of six participants (one interview before guide dog ownership and one after acquiring a guide dog). The qualitative methodology yielded some very promising findings on the nature of guide dog ownership. Seven themes emerged from the first interview and eight from the second. Guide dog ownership seems to be a life-changing experience, with both negative and positive consequences for the owner and his/her psychological well-being. This study concludes with a strong argument for the complementary use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Recommendations are given for several service providers in and for the community of persons with disabilities, and suggestions are made for future research on a topic of this nature.

The purpose of this study was to answer the question, "Do British Columbia school psychologists use a multifaceted approach to assess English As A Second Language students?" Another purpose of the study was to measure the prevailing procedures used to psychologically assess ESL students in British Columbia school districts. A data collection design was developed that consisted of a mailed self-administered questionnaire that was to be completed by all of the school districts in British Columbia. The questionnaire items were grouped in 3 separate sections - The first section (4 items) of the questionnaire requested personal and demographic information. The second section (35 items) asked participants to indicate on a 4 point Likert scale (always(1) - usually(2) -sometimes(3) - never(4)) the techniques and testing instruments they used during the psychological assessment of an ESL student. These techniques and instruments were selected from the literature outlining multifaceted assessments and included (a) the use of tests translated into the student's L I, and the assessment of the student's L 1, (b) reference to peers and siblings, (c) use of translators, (d) parental involvement, (e) number of years in an English - speaking school system before assessment, (f) use of norm-referenced standardized tests, (g) assessment of the student’s social/cultural/linguistic background, and (h) an awareness of the bias found in widely used tests, and the use of test results to prescribe treatment. The third section (open-ended) invited the participants to briefly describe the guidelines, if any, that their district followed to distinguish learning English As A Second Language difficulties from cognitive processing problems. The results revealed that many B.C. school psychologists involved in the assessment of ESL students are cognizant of the linguistic/ socio/cultural bias found in norm-referenced standardized tests and, as a result, are not extensively administering tests such as the WISC-R to ESL students, nor are they relying exclusively on the test scores to prescribe treatment for ESL students. Moreover, many psychologists are using peers and siblings to establish more realistic norms. Many of the psychologists are assessing the students' academic records (when available) and health records, and involving the ESL students' parents in the assessment process. The data also indicated that several phases of a multifaceted assessment need to be addressed by many of the school psychologists in British Columbia that are involved in the assessment of ESL students. These include: 1)the assessment of the students' L 1, and the use (when appropriate) of standardized tests translated into the student's L 1 2)involving trained translators in the interview and assessment of ESL students, and the interview of the students' parents 3) measuring the students' current level of functioning with 'dynamic' assessment and adaptive behaviour measurement (such as Feurerstein's Learning Potential Assessment Device) 4) involving the students' classroom teacher in the assessment through the use of anecdotal reporting 5) understanding that it takes at least five years, on the average, for an immigrant child who arrives in the host country after the age of six to approach grade norms in L2 Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. This study has revealed the wide range of psychological assessment procedures currently employed by British Columbia school psychologists. Some psychologists are utilizing all of the data at their disposal to accurately assess ESL students, while others are employing practices that may produce inaccurate and misleading results. In this regard, this study has established a need for valid multifaceted psychological assessment of ESL students procedures to be adapted by all of British Columbia's 75 school psychologists.

The purpose of this investigation was two-fold. First, to examine the level of diagnostic accuracy of psychologists when their decisions were subjected to statistical procedures that analyzed group differences and group membership predictions. Second, to examine the sensitivity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST; Heaton, Chelune, Talley, Kay, & Curtiss, 1993) in differentially identifying children who experience ADHD and RD-LD symptoms. The diagnostic battery used to identify ADHD, RD-LD, and Normal subjects included intellectual, academic achievement, attention, and hyperactivity measures recognized as sensitive to these disorders. Performance on the WCST was then examined to determine its usefulness in discriminating between the aforementioned groups.Scores for the diagnostic variables for 115 subjects (mean age = 9.8 years; males = 80; females = 35) were analyzed using oneway ANOVAs to determine differences between groups. A subsequent cluster analysis was conducted using Ward's method to determine group membership of the subjects and resulted in a sample of 87. This cluster analysis resulted in a four cluster solution with the groups being identified as ADHD, RD-LD, Normal, and "Close Calls."Two linear discriminant analyses were performed with the first using the diagnostic groups diagnosed by the previous psychologists as groups and diagnostic variables as predictors. The second used the diagnostic groups diagnosed by evaluating psychologists and the WCST variables used as predictors to examine their ability to discriminate between groups and predict membership.The first linear discriminant analysis yielded two significant functions of three indicating confidence in the diagnoses provided by the evaluating psychologists. The second linear discriminant analysis yielded no significant findings when using the WCST variables as predictors. As a result, it appears the WCST provides little useful information in the differentiation between ADHD, RD-LD, and normals. / Department of Educational Psychology

Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The purpose of this study was to answer the question, "Do British Columbia school psychologists use a multifaceted approach to assess English As A Second Language students?" Another purpose of the study was to measure the prevailing procedures used to psychologically assess ESL students in British Columbia school districts. A data collection design was developed that consisted of a mailed self-administered questionnaire that was to be completed by all of the school districts in British Columbia. The questionnaire items were grouped in 3 separate sections - The first section (4 items) of the questionnaire requested personal and demographic information. The second section (35 items) asked participants to indicate on a 4 point Likert scale (always(1) - usually(2) -sometimes(3) - never(4)) the techniques and testing instruments they used during the psychological assessment of an ESL student. These techniques and instruments were selected from the literature outlining multifaceted assessments and included (a) the use of tests translated into the student's L I, and the assessment of the student's L 1, (b) reference to peers and siblings, (c) use of translators, (d) parental involvement, (e) number of years in an English - speaking school system before assessment, (f) use of norm-referenced standardized tests, (g) assessment of the student’s social/cultural/linguistic background, and (h) an awareness of the bias found in widely used tests, and the use of test results to prescribe treatment. The third section (open-ended) invited the participants to briefly describe the guidelines, if any, that their district followed to distinguish learning English As A Second Language difficulties from cognitive processing problems. The results revealed that many B.C. school psychologists involved in the assessment of ESL students are cognizant of the linguistic/ socio/cultural bias found in norm-referenced standardized tests and, as a result, are not extensively administering tests such as the WISC-R to ESL students, nor are they relying exclusively on the test scores to prescribe treatment for ESL students. Moreover, many psychologists are using peers and siblings to establish more realistic norms. Many of the psychologists are assessing the students' academic records (when available) and health records, and involving the ESL students' parents in the assessment process. The data also indicated that several phases of a multifaceted assessment need to be addressed by many of the school psychologists in British Columbia that are involved in the assessment of ESL students. These include: 1)the assessment of the students' L 1, and the use (when appropriate) of standardized tests translated into the student's L 1 2)involving trained translators in the interview and assessment of ESL students, and the interview of the students' parents 3) measuring the students' current level of functioning with 'dynamic' assessment and adaptive behaviour measurement (such as Feurerstein's Learning Potential Assessment Device) 4) involving the students' classroom teacher in the assessment through the use of anecdotal reporting 5) understanding that it takes at least five years, on the average, for an immigrant child who arrives in the host country after the age of six to approach grade norms in L2 Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. This study has revealed the wide range of psychological assessment procedures currently employed by British Columbia school psychologists. Some psychologists are utilizing all of the data at their disposal to accurately assess ESL students, while others are employing practices that may produce inaccurate and misleading results. In this regard, this study has established a need for valid multifaceted psychological assessment of ESL students procedures to be adapted by all of British Columbia's 75 school psychologists. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine the construct validities of comparable AD/HD instruments that were developed according to our current, DSM-IV classification system for AD/HD; and to identify potential +neurocognitive and socioemotional markers for AD/HD. The sample consisted of 145 children ages 8 to 11 years of age who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), or Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). Children were administered a battery of neurocognitive tests and completed a self-report measure of personality. Parents completed several, AD/HD instruments pertaining to their children. The AD/HD instruments used in this study were the Attention Deficit Disorder Evaluation Scale-Home Version (ADDES), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Test (ADHDT), and the Attention Problems and Hyperactivity scales from the BASC-Monitor (BASC-M). Of interest was how each AD/HD instrument compared to the DSM-IV, particularly in terms of the cross-consistency of AD/HD subtype classifications. The findings showed that the AD/HD instruments classified participants differently from the initial, DSM-IV entry diagnosis. Rates of agreement were better for some of the AD/HD instruments than for others yet there was little overall consistency. The neurocognitive measures used in the study were the Cognitive Assessment System-Basic Battery scales. The socioemotional measures used in the study were two parent-report scales from the BASC-M (Internalizing Problems and Adaptive Skills), and the child report scales from the BASC-Self Report of Personality. Results showed that the neurocognitive measures were relatively insensitive to AD/HD symptomatology while a nearly opposite trend was observed on the socioemotional measures. For the most part, participants classified as the ADHD-Combined Type (ADHD-CT), (regardless of which AD/HD instrument was used) had the most significant impairment in areas of social functioning and emotional symptoms across parent and self-reports.

The present study was designed to empirically validate six theoretically derived cognitive domains (verbal memory, visual memory, working memory, attention-concentration, executive functions, and visuospatial abilities) assessed by a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests used in the Geriatric Memory Clinic at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The study examined the extent to which various cognitive dimensions are tapped by this battery in a heterogeneous geriatric sample of 114 patients with cognitive impairments. The proposed six-factor model of cognitive functioning has not been supported. Further exploratory factor analysis arrived at a five-factor solution. Factor pattern of the 23 tests supported the following five dimensions: memory, executive control, attention, visuospatial abilities, and cognitive flexibility.

Measures of adult attachment developed in English have been translated and validated in multiple Spanish-speaking countries, yet to this date no self-report adult attachment instrument has been systematically examined for validation with Latinos/Hispanic Americans. The present study examined psychometric properties of a Spanish version of a widely used adult attachment scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECRS), with a bilingual college student sample. Following the dual-language split half (DLSH) quantitative method of evaluating semantic equivalence, 209 bilingual, Latinos/Hispanic American college students recruited from a large public university completed a DLSH version of the ECRS (half English, half Spanish). Internal consistency reliability and DLSH reliability were within acceptable limits, although significantly smaller than coefficients of the English ECRS completed by a large Caucasian sample (n = 459); 3- to 8-week test-retest reliability was also adequate. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor solution with 35 items accounting for 40% of the variance, which was similar to the English ECRS. Convergent validity was supported by findings that showed significant associations of attachment dimensions with social self-efficacy, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and comfort with self-disclosure, but not interpersonal trust. Evidence for discriminant validity was found in that attachment dimensions were not significantly associated with social desirability. Theoretical implications, limitations, and future directions of the study will be discussed based on adult attachment theory and cross-cultural perspectives.

by Tso Chi Wai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-96). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgments --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.iii / List of Tables --- p.v / List of Appendices --- p.vii / Introduction --- p.1 / Assessment tools --- p.2 / Development of the EDI --- p.2 / Psychometric properties of the EDI --- p.5 / Reliability --- p.5 / Test-retest reliability --- p.9 / Validity --- p.9 / Factor structure of EDI-1 --- p.14 / Factor analysis of EDI-2 --- p.17 / Normative Data --- p.18 / Cross-cultural studies --- p.19 / Purpose of the study --- p.21 / Method --- p.23 / Participants --- p.23 / Measures --- p.23 / Procedures --- p.25 / Results --- p.26 / Response rate and missing data --- p.26 / Normative data --- p.26 / Differentiating utility --- p.41 / Reliability --- p.45 / Item-total correlational analysis --- p.48 / Subscale intercorrelations --- p.53 / Factor analysis of EDI-1 --- p.55 / Factor analysis of EDI-2 --- p.72 / Correlation between EDI and ESC-21 --- p.78 / Discussion --- p.80 / Normative data and differentiating utility of EDI --- p.80 / Distribution of scores --- p.83 / Differentiating Utilities --- p.83 / Reliability --- p.85 / Factor analysis --- p.86 / Conclusion --- p.88 / Limitations --- p.89 / Implication for Future Studies --- p.90 / References --- p.91 / Appendices / Questionnaire for the study --- p.97

Assessment Centres within the South African Workplace: Relationship between a Situational Judgement Test and Ability and Personality Measures.This research investigates the relationship of a specific situational judgement test, Scenarios, to that of ability and personality measures through a discriminant validation study. The Scenarios Test was developed in order to assess the construct of Managerial Judgement within the work context. Despite the fact that this instrument has demonstrated reliability and validity evidence, this has been primarily obtained within a European context. Therefore, this study will contribute towards the growing body of evidence supporting the psychometric integrity of the use of Scenarios within a South African context. Moreover, this research aims to determine whether or not a situational judgement test of Managerial Judgement provides information relating to constructs which are not sufficiently measured by ability tests and personality questionnaires. The results indicate that there is significant inter-correlation between the scales of Scenarios, but not between Scenarios and the other instruments used (cognitive ability tests and a trait personality measure). This may support the hypothesis that SJTs could measure a broader underlying construct, such as tacit knowledge, as well as the fact that they may provide unique information relating to candidates‟ potential job performance which is not provided by tests of ability and personality. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.