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About the RTG

RTG - Meetings during the Covid-19-Pandemic: Finding new forms of collaboration

The Research Training Group (RTG) 2271 "Maintenance vs. change of expectations in the context of expectation violations" is funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG). The overall aim of the RTG is to explore why and when organisms (humans and animals) modify or maintain generalized expectations in the face of adverse evidence. Fourteen doctoral candidates are funded in each cohort (3 years per cohort). Open positions are advertised here.

Expectations – defined as conditional predictions about future events in the sense of "if-X-then-Y"-hypotheses – are often maintained even if they have been empirically disproved. This phenomenon (denoted as “persistence of expectation") has been observed and described in a variety of research contexts, such as social psychology (persistence of intergroup stereotypes despite positive contact with members of the outgroup), clinical psychology (persistence of catastrophic expectations despite cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy) or developmental or educational psychology (persistence of performance expectations despite expectation-incompatible feedback or censorship). Corresponding concepts, theoretical explanations and methodological approaches have been developed in each of these psychological disciplines. However, there is still a lack of a common, integrative perspective on the phenomenon of persistence of expectation.

The Research Training Group will try to close this gap. The various PhD projects carried out cover both basic and applied disciplines of psychology. The pursued multi-disciplinary approach will help to better understand and further conceptualize the phenomenon of persistence of expectations.

The RTG creates a research environment in which doctoral candidates will overcome the boundaries of their psychological discipline. Beyond that, the cornerstones of the care and support concept are: (1) need-oriented support services, (2) optimal local scientific and social infrastructure as well as (3) a sustainable strategy of internationalization, as well as (4) participation and autonomy of PhD students and responsibility with regard to scientific practice.

The Philipps University Marburg’s Department of Psychology enjoys an excellent international reputation and offers young scientists excellent research conditions. The Principal Inverstigators involved in this Research Training Group are experienced in supervision and guidance of doctoral candidates as well as in the implementation and coordination of joint projects.

Suggested literature:

Rief, W., Glombiewski, J. A., Gollwitzer, M., Schubö, A., Schwarting, R. & Thorwart, A. (2015). Expectancies as core features of mental disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 28(5), 378–385, DOI:10.1097/YCO.0000000000000184

Panitz, C., Endres, D., Buchholz, M., Khosrowtaj, Z., Sperl, M. F., Mueller, E. M., ... & Pinquart, M. (2021). A revised framework for the investigation of expectation update versus maintenance in the context of expectation violations: The ViolEx 2.0 model. Frontiers in psychology, 5237.

Pinquart, M., Endres, D., Teige-Mocigemba, S., Panitz, C., & Schütz, A. C. (2021). Why expectations do or do not change after expectation violation: A comparison of seven models. Consciousness and Cognition, 89, 103086.

Members of the RTG 2271

A list of currently participating Principal Investigators can be found here.

For more infomation on current and former PhD Students, visit the respective page here.