Adolescence is an important period in the life cycle for which to study stress, due to the many involved developmental changes that require adaptation. This adaptation can be very stressful and result in pathology. Stress is defined as a "process" involving a continual transaction between stressors in the environment, mediating variables, and stress responses. The Stress-Response Scale for Adolescents (SRSA) was developed to measure self-perceived stress responses of those between the ages of 14 to 20. The SRSA's development involved three studies. Study 1 involved item selection, scale construction, item reduction, and estimations of internal consistency and validity. Truthfulness items were developed to determine the honesty of responses. Study 2 tested the ability of the SRSA, through roe-enactment methodology, to distinguish those in a high-stress condition versus those in a low-stress condition. Study 3, again with the use of role-enactment methodology, tested the potential of the SRSA to detect changes in stress-response levels when individuals were taken from a low-stress to a high-stress condition and vice versa. The final SRSA includes 32 stress-response and six truthfulness items. Initially, factor analysis of the SRSA revealed a high loading of gender on the primary factor. Separate forms were created for males and females. Repeat factor analyses of items in the two forms revealed four factors each for males and females but were of questionable utility due to high intercorrelations. All sections of the SRSA should be used for most purposes. Internal consistency estimates of the SRSA are .96 (2 < .05) for females and .94 (2 < .05) for males. Validity estimates are all in the expected direction and range from .25 to .79 for both males and females. The truthfulness items have a coefficient alpha of .82 for females and .77 for males, with validity estimates ranging from .34 for females to .14 (25 < .05) for males. Studies 2 and 3 revealed that the SRSA does have the potential of differentiating between those in different stress conditions and also of detecting stress-response changes. It was concluded that the SRSA, although in preliminary form, has the potential of assessing the stress response in adolescents as long as the discussed weaknesses, such as small sample size and nonrandomization, are taken into account.

return and payback period. All these above techniques will be analysed in three different scenarios, namely: 1. Mine X will stay with its current operations without any new projects. 2. The development project will begin immediately. 3. A six–month delay in development of the project. The study found that the net present value was positive, the internal rate of return was more than the discount rate and the payback period was shorter than the project’s life–time regarding to all three above–mentioned scenarios. The highest net present value is calculated in case the project starts immediately. Both the internal rate of return and the payback period indicated that a six month delay in the project is the most viable. After considering all the facts, the study concluded due to the highest net present value the best feasible recommendation would be to start the project immediately. The value of this study is that it is the first study to investigate the relationship between the viability to delay or to start the investment project immediately in the South African mining industry. This study is also unique, since it takes into account how mining industries world–wide can achieve long–term success through development projects without losing key players, due to impulsive short–term downsizing decisions. To be able to use personality tests in the most reliable and valid manner there are many considerations to be taken into account. Variables such as the population used, the culture of the test–takers, the mode of administration, whether pencil–and–paper or computer–based testing procedures, familiarity with computers when using computer–based tests and the response format to be used when administering the personality questionnaire are but some of the considerations. Within South Africa it is that much more important to consider the mode of administration, whether pencil–and–paper tests or computer–based tests, as there are many individual groups who have been historically disadvantaged when it comes to the use of computers as a testing method. It is just as important to consider the response scale to be utilised when administering personality testing as this may influence the results obtained and can influence the reliability and validity of these results. The objective of this study was to determine which response scale, dichotomous or polytomous, was the best to use when conducting computer–based personality testing. The questionnaire that was utilised was the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) questionnaire; however, only items from the Soft–Heartedness cluster were employed as the objective was not to test the questionnaire but to test the most reliable and valid response scale to be used in conjunction with the questionnaire. A convenience sampling approach was utilised and the questionnaire was administered to students who were available and able to take the test (N = 724). Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and Cronbach Alpha coefficients were used to analyse the data obtained. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

return and payback period. All these above techniques will be analysed in three different scenarios, namely: 1. Mine X will stay with its current operations without any new projects. 2. The development project will begin immediately. 3. A six–month delay in development of the project. The study found that the net present value was positive, the internal rate of return was more than the discount rate and the payback period was shorter than the project’s life–time regarding to all three above–mentioned scenarios. The highest net present value is calculated in case the project starts immediately. Both the internal rate of return and the payback period indicated that a six month delay in the project is the most viable. After considering all the facts, the study concluded due to the highest net present value the best feasible recommendation would be to start the project immediately. The value of this study is that it is the first study to investigate the relationship between the viability to delay or to start the investment project immediately in the South African mining industry. This study is also unique, since it takes into account how mining industries world–wide can achieve long–term success through development projects without losing key players, due to impulsive short–term downsizing decisions. To be able to use personality tests in the most reliable and valid manner there are many considerations to be taken into account. Variables such as the population used, the culture of the test–takers, the mode of administration, whether pencil–and–paper or computer–based testing procedures, familiarity with computers when using computer–based tests and the response format to be used when administering the personality questionnaire are but some of the considerations. Within South Africa it is that much more important to consider the mode of administration, whether pencil–and–paper tests or computer–based tests, as there are many individual groups who have been historically disadvantaged when it comes to the use of computers as a testing method. It is just as important to consider the response scale to be utilised when administering personality testing as this may influence the results obtained and can influence the reliability and validity of these results. The objective of this study was to determine which response scale, dichotomous or polytomous, was the best to use when conducting computer–based personality testing. The questionnaire that was utilised was the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) questionnaire; however, only items from the Soft–Heartedness cluster were employed as the objective was not to test the questionnaire but to test the most reliable and valid response scale to be used in conjunction with the questionnaire. A convenience sampling approach was utilised and the questionnaire was administered to students who were available and able to take the test (N = 724). Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and Cronbach Alpha coefficients were used to analyse the data obtained. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

In a multicultural society such as South Africa, there is a need for valid and reliable instruments measuring personality. Most personality instruments currently used in South Africa are imported from abroad and therefore have limited utility in the South African context as they have been developed for a specific group. The introduction of technology has resulted in personality measuring instruments increasingly being administered by means of computer-based assessments. The dramatic increase in computer-based assessments has sparked debate regarding the use of various response scale categories in personality assessment. The present study, which forms part of the broader South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) project, focused on the preliminary qualitative personality structure produced by the SAPI project, which is categorised into nine clusters. The current study aimed to determine whether a dichotomous or a polytomous response scale administered by means of computer-based assessments would be more suitable for measuring the preliminary personality structure of the SAPI. The participants were first- and second-year undergraduate students enrolled at a tertiary institution (N = 490). The inventory consisted of 262 closed-ended personality statements and was administered in both the dichotomous (“agree” and “disagree”) and polytomous (“strongly agree”, “agree”, “somewhat agree/disagree”, “strongly disagree” and “disagree”) response scale form. The results, which were based on an exploratory factor analysis, revealed that 37.2% of the items in the dichotomous response scale were problematic, whereas only 3.6% of the items in the polytomous response scale were problematic. By comparing the factor structures of the dichotomous and polytomous response scales, the polytomous response scale was determined to be more suitable for measuring the preliminary personality structure of the SAPI. The conclusion was based on two specific criteria. Firstly, the factor structure across the polytomous response scale loaded similarly to the qualitative personality structure that was conceptualised in the first phase of the SAPI project. Secondly, Cronbach alpha coefficients, ranging from 0.60 to 0.87 across the nine factors, with the exception of the Integrity and Openness clusters with values of 0.45 and 0.53 respectively, for the polytomous response scale were higher than those yielded by the dichotomous response scale. / Mini Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Human Resource Management / MCom (Industrial Psychology) / unrestricted

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