Social Sciences

News about UB’s social sciences programs, including anthropology, psychology and social work. (see all topics)

  • Paleontologists Use Computer to "Morph" Deformed Fossils Back to Their Original Shapes
    4/6/04
    It's bad enough that fossils, buried deep in layers of rock for thousands or millions of years, may be damaged or missing pieces, but what really challenges paleontologists, according to University at Buffalo researchers, is the amount of deformation that most fossils exhibit. That's why a UB researcher and her colleagues are working on a computational method to morph fossils back to their original shapes by calculating and excising the deformation.
  • Computer-Assisted Cognitive Rehabilitation Improves Substance-Abuse Treatment Response
    3/25/04
    "Brain exercises" originally developed for the rehabilitation of head-injury patients improve the cognitive functioning of individuals in substance-abuse treatment and their commitment to the treatment program, according to research conducted at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).
  • Experience Is More Effective than Classroom Learning in Changing Age Bias in Dental Students, UB Study Finds
    3/13/04
    Results of a program conducted at the University at Buffalo designed to dispel age bias among dental students has confirmed a universal truth: Experience is a more powerful teacher than words.
  • Bar Characteristics, Women's Behavior in Bars Tied to Their Risk for Bar-Related Aggression
    3/1/04
    Environmental characteristics of bars, as well as women's behavior in bars, influence their risk for bar-related aggression, according to a study conducted by researchers in the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.
  • Fear of "Friday the 13th" Most Likely Originated from Jesus' Last Supper and Crucifixion, Says UB Anthropologist
    2/9/04
    "Friday the 13th's" association with bad luck is one of countless examples of humankind's universal predisposition for magical thinking -- the belief that thoughts, words or actions will produce an outcome that defies normal laws of cause and effect, says Phillips Stevens, Jr., associate professor of anthropology at the University at Buffalo
  • No More Perry Mason: TV Crime Shows Arrest Civil Liberties, "People Want Vengeance," Says New Book by UB Media Critic
    2/4/04
    In TV's portrayal of law and justice, civil liberties have become public enemy No. 1, according to a new book by a nationally known media critic at the University at Buffalo. "Law and Justice as Seen on TV" (New York University Press), examines the social and political impact of TV law and crime shows over the past 50 years -- from depictions of saintly public defenders to modern portrayals of tough-on-crime, heroic prosecutors.
  • Yale Classicist Hanson to Speak at UB
    2/4/04
    Distinguished classicist Ann Ellis Hanson will discuss "Alternative Medicine in Greco-Roman Antiquity: The Role of Amulets" during a lecture at 3 p.m. Feb. 23 in 120 Clemens Hall, North Campus.
  • Software Developed by UB Geographers is the First to Show How Quickly Fire Companies Respond to Urban Blazes
    1/29/04
    University at Buffalo geographers have developed the first software tool that determines precisely how long it takes for fire companies to reach fires, medical emergencies and sites of other rescue operations in order to assess how well a city is being served by the quantity and distribution of its firefighting resources.
  • Deconstructing the Pet-Effect on Cardiovascular Health
    1/13/04
    Can the presence of Fido or Fluffy calm an owner's stress, as some studies have suggested? Or is the science as fuzzy as Fifi's coat? A research scientist at the University at Buffalo, reviewed the scientific evidence to date relating to pets and cardiovascular responses. Her conclusion? Your beloved cat or dog can have a positive effect on your cardiovascular health, but don't stop taking your heart medicine.
  • UB Study Contends that Boeing's Proposed 7e7 Launch Covers Two Aircraft, Not One, and Warns of a 'Subsidy War'
    1/12/04
    A research paper by University at Buffalo industrial geographers maintains that the launch of the proposed Boeing 7E7 "Dreamliner" will cost $13.4 billion, nearly double what the company estimates, because it is, in fact, covering the launch of two distinct aircraft.