Arts - Buffalo State College

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Psychology and Social Sciences
as a luxury that should not be used if there is a party or some last
minute studying to be done. This study will unearth how important
sleep really is and how it may impact college students’ academic
success.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster VI
Sooner Rather Than Later: The Role
of Primacy and Recency In the Driver
Attribution Process
Courtney Bieniek and Brittany Leo, PSY 499: Independent
Study
Faculty Mentor: Professor Dwight Hennessy, Psychology
The traffic environment is one that is fast-paced and stress
provoking and oftentimes does not allow for a thorough evaluation
of events or stimuli that happen around us. The judgments an
individual makes about another driver’s abilities is primarily
based on a mere snapshot in time which may or may not be a
true representation of their typical driving behaviors. The way in
which an individual makes judgments is filtered through their
own personality and experiences. Recent research has begun to
focus on the attribution process in driving because of the potential
problems associated with errors in the judgment process. There
is some evidence to show that primacy and recency effects play a
role in memory and attribution formation. Primacy suggests that
we remember information better when presented earlier while
recency suggests that we remember more recent information better.
The participants in the current study were presented a video of
a near-collision between two vehicles from the perspective of a
trailing motorist (recorded in a traffic simulator). The primacy
group saw this early in the video while the recency group saw it
near the end of the video. Subsequently, they were asked to make
attributions about the driver in the incident (e.g. riskiness, ability,
skill). The preliminary data suggests that in most cases primacy was
more prevalent than recency with respect to negative judgments.
Therefore, if poor driving ability is seen earlier on, the more likely
the driver will be judged as being less skilled and more reckless.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster II
Stature Estimation Comparison
Jennifer Mclaurin, ANT 495: Skeletal Stature
Faculty Mentor: Professor Julie Wieczkowski, Anthropology
Stature estimation of human remains is an important part of
forming a biological profile for forensic cases (Cordeiro et al. 2009).
Due to the precarious nature of long bone preservation under
forensic circumstances, alternative methods of stature estimation
have been tested, which utilize skeletal elements that are preserved
in higher frequency (Meadows and Jantz 1992). The objective of this
project was to test a method of stature estimation that utilizes skeletal
elements that are preserved in high frequency against two known
conventional methods that rely on bones that are often damaged
under forensic circumstances. This study was conducted on 10
natural human skeletons in the Anthropology Department. The
two conventional methods I tested were the Fully method and long
bone method. The alternative method was the metatarsal method.
My ultimate goal was to determine if the metatarsal method is an
applicable alternative to standard methods of stature estimation
when forming a biological profile for forensic purposes. Based on
a comparison of stature estimations from the three methods, the
metatarsal method does not provide stature estimations that are
precise or accurate enough to aid in forming a biological profile.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster III
A Steel Stronghold Turned Stagnant: An
Examination of Local Leadership’s Role
In the Decline of Bethlehem Steel In
Lackawanna, NY
Gretchen Garrity, HON 400: All College Honors Colloquium
Faculty Mentors: Professor Susan Randaccio, History and
Professor Andrea Guiati, Director, All College Honors Program
On Monday, December 27, 1982, the Buffalo News reported that
Bethlehem Steel was going to shut down almost all of its steelmaking
operations in Lackawanna permanently by the end of the summer.
The loss hit Buffalo hard; thirty-nine hundred workers would lose
their job and those thirty-four hundred already on lay-off would
not be recalled. Mayor Griffin was “in a state of shock” over the
closing and Governor Mario Cuomo developed a task force to deal
with the devastating situation. And yet, just two decades earlier in
the mid-1960s Bethlehem Steel employed 20,000 locals and was
producing six million tons annually making it the third largest steel
company in the country; even as late as 1975 the company built a
$138 million state-of-the-art bar mill in Lackawanna. It is difficult
for those of recent generations to look at the Buffalo that exists today
and imagine the greatness it once embodied. The purpose of this
project is to research the roles of the community leadership and
labor unions in the closing of Bethlehem Steel. The project will also
illustrate the effects the closing of Bethlehem Steel had on Buffalo’s
economy.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster II
Student Academic Success
Jacqueline Melo, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Professor Robert Delprino, Psychology
This study examines the areas of a student’s life that potentially
contribute to their education. Specifically the research seeks to
identify students’ perceptions of how their families, workplaces and
the college provide support to help them achieve academic success.
Comparisons will be made between working and non-working
students’ perceptions and how differences in perceptions may
influence students’ attachment to the college. This study will build
upon earlier student research conducted at Buffalo State College,