Repelling recollections:Disgust-driven avoidant processing of body-related autobiographical memories

Many women suffer from a persistent negative body image. To explain this persistence, this dissertation investigated the role of (self-)disgust. As a first step, it was tested whether women with a negative body image experience feelings of (self-)disgust towards their own bodies. The results showed that there is a moderate to strong association between self-disgust and body image concerns. Disgust is highly persistent and prompts people to engage in all kinds of behaviors to avoid the nasty feelings of disgust. Such avoidance might prevent negative views of one's own body from being adjusted. In this way, (self-)disgust could be an important factor contributing to the maintenance of the negative body image. As a second step, women with and without body image concerns were asked to recall memories about their own bodies. Memories of women with body image concerns contained more features of disgust and evoked stronger disgust and avoidance reactions than memories of women without body image concerns. The tendency to avoid thinking about the disgusting memories prevents a person from getting used to the feelings of disgust and from adjusting the negative meaning of those memories. To address the persistence of the negative body image, it therefore seems crucial to ensure that habituation to feelings of disgust can take place by preventing avoidance. Hopefully, this will help not only to reduce (self-)disgust, but also to adjust the negative meaning of body memories and help form a more positive body evaluation

Applications in computational finance with a focus on approximation of financial time series by neurocomputing

[no abstract

Some comments on specification tests in nonparametric absolutely regular processes

In this note several aspects of specification tests in nonparametric models driven by an absolutely regular process are discussed, which were recently proprosed in the literature. In particular we give a more detailed asymptotic analysis of tests based on kernel methods under fixed alternatives using a central limit theorem for U-statistics with n-dependent nondegenerate kernel. As a by-product it is demonstrated that several results regarding the asymptotic distribution of goodness-of-fit tests are incorrectly stated in the literature. Moreover, our result indicates that recent results on the asymptotic equivalence between nonparametric autoregression and nonparametric regression cannot be used for the asymptotic analysis of goodness-of-fit tests under fixed alternatives

Exploring the experiences and perceived impact on professional practice and wellbeing of SENCos engaging with EP-led group supervision

Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) in English schools are unique and stretched in the demands and strategic scope of their role to promote inclusion for individual children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and across their school system. Professional supervision is a well-established practice across many vocational professions and seen as integral to the support and development of those in roles supporting vulnerable CYP, such as Educational Psychologists (EPs). Supervision opportunities remain lacking in schools despite increasing recognition of the relevance and need in this context. In light of ongoing changes to SEND legislation and increasing concern around supporting the wellbeing and retention of school staff, SENCos represent a key professional group which stands to gain from supervision opportunities. This study aims to capture and understand the experiences of school SENCos engaging with EP-led interprofessional group supervision. This case study research is conducted in the context of a local authority EP Service providing supervision to groups of SENCos across local primary and secondary school settings. Survey and interview data from this research align with the emerging literature to highlight the benefits of supervision to school staff in developing professional practice and wellbeing. SENCos particularly emphasized the restorative and protective impact they experienced from interprofessional supervision, with the supervision group being identified as a key factor in SENCos feeling less alone and supported to meet the challenging demands of their role. Broader systemic factors influencing the impact and experience of supervision are identified. This study demonstrates the value of interprofessional group supervision for SENCos and exemplifies an important role for EPs in promoting professional wellbeing, understanding, and competence across school systems. The strengths and limitations of the present study are outlined, and the key findings discussed alongside implications for the systemic practice of EPs and school staff

Repeated testing improves achievement in a blended learning approach for risk competence training of medical students: results of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Adequate estimation and communication of risks is a critical competence of physicians. Due to an evident lack of these competences, effective training addressing risk competence during medical education is needed. Test-enhanced learning has been shown to produce marked effects on achievements. This study aimed to investigate the effect of repeated tests implemented on top of a blended learning program for risk competence. Methods: We introduced a blended-learning curriculum for risk estimation and risk communication based on a set of operationalized learning objectives, which was integrated into a mandatory course “Evidence-based Medicine” for third-year students. A randomized controlled trial addressed the effect of repeated testing on achievement as measured by the students’ pre- and post-training score (nine multiple-choice items). Basic numeracy and statistical literacy were assessed at baseline. Analysis relied on descriptive statistics (histograms, box plots, scatter plots, and summary of descriptive measures), bootstrapped confidence intervals, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and effect sizes (Cohen’s d, r) based on adjusted means and standard deviations. Results: All of the 114 students enrolled in the course consented to take part in the study and were assigned to either the intervention or control group (both: n = 57) by balanced randomization. Five participants dropped out due to non-compliance (control: 4, intervention: 1). Both groups profited considerably from the program in general (Cohen’s d for overall pre vs. post scores: 2.61). Repeated testing yielded an additional positive effect: while the covariate (baseline score) exhibits no relation to the post-intervention score, F(1, 106) = 2.88, p > .05, there was a significant effect of the intervention (repeated tests scenario) on learning achievement, F(1106) = 12.72, p < .05, d = .94, r = .42 (95% CI: [.26, .57]). However, in the subgroup of participants with a high initial numeracy score no similar effect could be observed. Conclusion: Dedicated training can improve relevant components of risk competence of medical students. An already promising overall effect of the blended learning approach can be improved significantly by implementing a test-enhanced learning design, namely repeated testing. As students with a high initial numeracy score did not profit equally from repeated testing, target-group specific opt-out may be offered

Data management for heterogeneous research environments with CaosDB -- Experiences from an MPDL Open Source development project

Experimental and theoretical scientists in the turbulence department at the MPI-DS in Göttingen produce a large variety of heterogeneous data and analyze it in a number of different environments. In an MPDL project, the open source research data management software CaosDB was enhanced to meet these needs and hopefully those of other research groups as well. We will show the results of this process: automated integration of data from metadata-rich raw HDF 5 files and a new API with language bindings for Octave, C++ and Julia. Additionally, the user documentation was overhauled, programming tutorials published and perfomance bottlenecks identified. We will also share insights about "soft" measures to increase the overall utility of semantic data management: practical guidelines for scientists to produce truly FAIR data and workshops to empower scientists to work with CaosDB

Disgust-induced avoidant processing of autobiographical memories as a transdiagnostic mechanism in the persistence of psychopathology

We present a model of disgust-induced avoidant processing of autobiographical memories contributing to the persistence of psychopathology. Following the model, autobiographical memory retrieval is biased toward disgust-related experiences. Critically, disgust promotes the avoidance of specific auto-biographical memories by reactively aborting the processing of those memories or by strategically preventing access to them, making disgust appraisals immune to corrective infor-mation. In the context of eating disorders/body image, studies provided consistent evidence for a bias toward disgust-related memories of their own body in women with a more nega-tive body image. Although the current research casts doubt on disgust-induced strategic avoidant retrieval of body-related memories, it provided initial evidence for reactive avoidance of such memories. Insight into the role of disgust-induced avoid-ant memory processing as a transdiagnostic mechanism may help in understanding the refractoriness of disgust-relevant psychopathologies (including depressive and trauma-related disorders) and point to the necessity of therapeutic strategies to addressdisgust-induced avoidance

“Refugees Welcome”: Analysing Transgressive Stickers along Münster’s Harbour

A recent study by the Shell Corporation revealed that students are becoming increasingly interested in political matters. The study makes a connection between this development and a growing disposition towards political actions (“Die Shell Jugendstudie”). This development has also become noticeable in Münster. It is not surprising that in Münster, an international university town, many young people are interested in politics and show action in this domain. This often goes hand in hand with the university environment, where students&nbsp;become more aware of the issues relevant in their local and national contexts, as well as in aglobalised world. Along Münster’s harbour, there are many bars and clubs. It is one of the city’s designated party-scenes and many of the publicly visible objectsare covered in stickers with a multitude of messages ranging from advertisements to political or moral themes. Therefore, we conducted a study to analyse the potential connection between the number of stickers found in that area and the increasing political interest among young people