Browsing by Author "Abramovitz, Arnold"

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    The auditory environment of the young child
    (1963) Abramovitz, Arnold; Grover, V M
    The basic aim of this study is to explore the nature and development of the child's ability to perceive, understand and interpret auditory stimuli from which ordinary linguistic cues have been eliminated or in which they have been severely reduced. The term "non-linguistic" as it will be used here needs clarification. It refers to the use of any acoustic material except the conventional vocal symbols of everyday speech. Thus, it does not exclude human vocalizations as such, but only those which carry the semantic content of the language of the individual or subject. Confusion is possible over this issue because of the wide definition of language currently held. Thus the first definition supplied by English and English (1958) is "any form of intercommunicative behaviour, verbal or non-verbal". To demarcate our area of interest more precisely it is necessary to attempt an a priori classification of the total acoustic environment of an individual of a given language and culture.
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    A comparative multidisciplinary investigation into two hypothetical altered states of consciousness
    (1975) Doxey, Neville Charles Stephen; Abramovitz, Arnold; Beumont, Peter
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    Depression in childhood : issues in definition, diagnosis and treatment
    (1978) Mudie, Gillian; Abramovitz, Arnold
    Definition, diagnosis and treatment of childhood depression is confused and controversial. Confusion relates to semantic ambiguity, definitional problems, methodological issues, and difficulties inherent in the study of depression in children. To gain clarity on the meaning of depression, theoretical concepts were reviewed. Depressive syndrome was surveyed to delineate symptomatology, course, treatment and prognosis. Studies of childhood depression were collated to find common threads in descriptions and treatments of depressed children. A perspective for diagnosing depression in children was formulated. A pilot study of depression in children, illustrating issues discussed, was appended.
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    Designs for sensory-motor tests and other psychological apparatus
    (1966) De Wet, Daniel Richard; Danziger, K; Abramovitz, Arnold
    The design and construction of equipment for both basic psychological research and applied purposes in occupational selection and guidance, ergonomics, and training, is an important area that has hitherto received comparatively little recognition. Apparatus is often taken very much for granted as useful furniture affording some passive assistance in the study of behaviour, but nevertheless remaining something extraneous, that belongs more fittingly in the realm of mechanics. Actually, the design and construction of testing equipment, no less than its application, is very intimately related to the measurement of psychological functions. Behavioural results can be no more sound than the instruments and techniques employed in deriving them. This dissertation attempts to make some contributions of a twofold kind: Technological, comprising detailed illustrated descriptions of some original apparatus designs by the writer, and Behavioural, comprising accounts of research findings obtained with these, mainly on air-pilot candidates for the South African Air Force, and African industrial personnel.
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    The development of a sense of identity during the adolescent period
    (1972) Short, Ann Margaret; Grover, V M; Abramovitz, Arnold
    This study was motivated by an interest in young people which stemmed from working with ordinary high school pupils and not from the academic study of adolescent psychology. In order to find a suitable subject for research I turned to those books which were likely to give a cross-section of the literature in the field, for example, the survey provided by Gottlieb & Reeves (1963) and various books of 'readings' (Seidman, 1953; Bier, 1963; Mussen,,Conger & Kagan, 1965; Grinder, 1969; Gold & Douvan, 1969). This created an impression of a large number of narrow, insulated empirical studies pragmatically ordered according to various dominant 'themes' (e.g., physical and cognitive development, family and peer relations, values, problems, interests) and relatively few isolated 'theoretical' articles. Few of the empirical studies were grounded in theory or attempted to relate their findings to any theoretical framework, while most of the theoretical articles seemed, to be speculative. The empirical research concerning the development of a self-concept during adolescence aroused my interest but much of it also lacked a theoretical framework. It was then suggested that Erik Erikson's theory of identity formation in adolescence might provide a more comprehensive and coherent framework for an empirical investigation.
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    Experimental transformation of the perception of colour
    (1972) Abramovitz, Arnold; Du Preez, Peter
    This thesis presents an argument about the basis of our experience of colour. The argument is conducted by means of an interplay between a set of axioms, deductions from a particular theory (including "thought experiments" which explore the logic of those deductions), and concrete empirical evidence. The axioms and the theory are those of James G. Taylor. The title of the thesis refers to the general methodology adopted. The term "experimental transformation" carries specific connotations; and the notions from which it is derived, and to which it gives rise, have to be understood in the context of the total argument. If the argument presented is sound, then certain implications follow which, it is claimed, force us to reconsider many current assumptions about the nature of "colour sensation" and indeed about the very meaning to be ascribed to the term colour. This in turn would have significance for colour science, psychology and epistemology in general.
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    An investigation into the effects of varying custody and access arrangements upon the emotional adjustment of children of divorce
    (1977) Rosen, Rhona; Abramovitz, Arnold; Stoch, Belle
    In recent years there has been a growing awareness of divorce as a significant sociological phenomenon. In spite of this, however, there has been a conspicuous lack of systematic empirical research aimed at examining the effects of divorce upon children. The present study arose out of many years of work in the psycho-legal field with children of divorce. During the course of this work the need for examining the effects of varying custody and access arrangements upon the emotional adjustment of children became increasingly apparent. This investigation represents the first reported attempt to compare systematically the adjustment of two groups of children: those awarded to their mother's custody, and those awarded to their father's custody. Furthermore, it examines for the first time the differential reactions of children to varying types of access arrangements. The orientation of the study is primarily clinical, the focus being on experiences reported retrospectively by the children themselves. The aim of the study was to suggest guidelines which would hopefully contribute toward preventing and alleviating stress in children of divorce. References cited in the text emanate from two main disciplines: psychology and law. As it was anticipated that members of both professions might be interested in this dissertation, it has at times been considered appropriate to define basic concepts in each field for the benefit of practitioners in the other. Most development in divorce-related research has taken place in the United States of America; consequently a major portion of the references cited emanate from that country. The principles and issues discussed in this thesis apply to the system of custody and access as it pertains in most Western countries.
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    The role of the psychologist in South African society : in search of an appropriate community psychology
    (1988) Lazarus, Sandy; Abramovitz, Arnold
    The purpose of the present study was to make suggestions for an appropriate community psychology practice in South Africa, and to explore the implications for the training of psychologists within this context. In order to develop these proposals an understanding of the South African social context and the location of psychology in that context was sought. In addition it was considered necessary to gain an overview of the community psychology approach in other contexts. Thereafter an exploration of the views of various people on an appropriate role for the psychologist in the broader socio-political arena in South Africa was conducted. These included key community psychologists in other contexts, psychologists in South Africa, psychology students, members of other social sciences, members of the public, and community organizers. An exploration of theoretical issues and relationships fundamental to a community psychology was then pursued, using a Critical perspective as a basis. Based on all of the above and direct experience of working and teaching within a community psychology framework in South Africa, suggestions for practice and training were offered.
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    A theory of existential psychology
    (1971) Lambley, Peter; Abramovitz, Arnold
    The theory presented in this dissertation is intended as a contribution to a central problem faced by contemporary psychologists, namely the problem of the role of value in the study of human action. This problem can be phrased in the following fashion: most contemporary writers in the philosophy of science agree that some a priori framework is essential for the study of naturally-occurring phenomena (Feyerabend, 1965; Katsoff, 1953; Turner, 1967). Such a framework serves the dual function of indicating, in a paradigmatic fashion (Kuhn, 1962, 1970), the direction research should take and provides an underlying epistemology and methodology enabling relevant findings to be interpreted.
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    The validity of the group personality projective test and its use in South African clinical psychology
    (1973) Stonestreet, Gerald; Lambley, Peter; Abramovitz, Arnold
    Following a discussion of the relationship between abnormal personality and psychopathology, and the concept of validity in psychometrics, the development and present form of the GPPT are described. Several important criticisms of the test are then detailed together with a review of all published research relating to it. Considering the HSRC's interest in standardising this instrument for use in South Africa, and since it is being extensively used for individual assessments within Stikland Hospital, four studies have been undertaken to clarify its validity: Study 1 concerns normative data and shows, from the test-results of 100 Afrikaans working adults of Bellville, that South African norms can be expected to differ radically from those obtained in the USA. Study 2 concerns the construct validity of the GPPT scales. Based on data from 168 Stikland patients, correlations between GPPT scores and a large number of other personality measures indicate that some of the interpretations offered by the test-developers are invalid for this population. Study 3 concerns the validity of the test as a measure of "mental health", and shows that, where significant, score deviations are related to neurotic rather than to sociopathic or psychotic maladjustment. Age and sex were not systematically related to score variance except for the "Withdrawal" scale, where a slight tendency was found for females to score higher. No single GPPT scale, including the composite "total score", was effective for reliable individual assessment of mental health. Study 4 concerns the test's validity as a measure of adjustment by investigating the scores before and after treatment of certain patients who improved dramatically. Results indicate that the TRQ and Total scores are effective in this respect.