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  The Relationship between Anxiety and Peer Victimization in College Students

  Michelle Bass

  Michelle Bass, PSY 495: Special Project
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kimberly Kamper-DeMarco, Psychology

  
  Peer victimization is a serious and prevalent problem that has been found to take place all around the world (Jimerson, Swearer & Espelage, 2010). Peer victimization includes different forms of harassment and aggression that has been found to have negative associations with emotional functioning such as internalizing distress (Barchia and Bussey, 2010). Past research has studied whether children with anxiety disorders are more likely to be victimized. A few studies have found that children experiencing victimization have reported high levels of anxiety (Crick et al., 1999). Previous studies have also found that anxious individuals have reported higher rates of being victimized (Crick & Grotpeter, 1996). Past research has determined that victims are three times more likely to have an anxiety disorder than non-victims (Kumpulainen et al., 2001). The aim of the current study is to investigate if there is a relationship in college students between peer victimization and anxiety. The current study will measure if there is a relationship between peer victimization and anxiety by administering a survey on Qualtrics for Buffalo State College students that asks the participants to reflect on and rate forms of peer victimization along with scales measuring anxiety levels and symptoms. Data collection is currently ongoing. We hypothesize that there will be a relationship between peer victimization and anxiety in college students. We expect to find that high ratings of peer victimization and high ratings of anxiety will co-occur.

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  Effects of Familiarity and Prime Type on Memory for Song Lyrics

  Michelle Bass and Erika Burgasser

  Michelle Bass and Erika Burgasser, PSY 389: Human Memory
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Stephani M. Foraker, Psychology

  
  Human semantic memory contains general world knowledge accumulated through our lives. Semantic memory is important in knowing what an object is, the name of someone, a color, or random facts that we use on a daily basis. Semantic priming effects have been demonstrated to reflect facilitated access to semantic information. Here we used semantic primes (1-Step, 2-Step, No Prime Control Condition) to facilitate the recall of missing song lyrics to well-known and not as well-known songs. Each participant received each condition (1-Step, 2-Step, No Prime Control Condition) for both well-known and not well-known songs. We used an online survey through Qualtrics and recruited participants through Buffalo State's campus and social media (i.e. Facebook). Results suggested for the 1-Step prime condition accuracy is higher for well-known compared to not well-known songs. There was also an interaction between well-known and not well-known songs showing that for well-known songs, 1-Step and 2-Step primes did not differ in accuracy, while for less known songs, the 2-Step primes were surprisingly better than the 1-Step primes. Results supported previous research indicating that priming allows individuals to respond quickly and accurately to information being tested.

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  Self-Regulation and Internalizing Symptoms in College Students

  Shaeanne Bernard

  Shaeanne Bernard, PSY 495: Special Project
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kimberly Kamper-DeMarco, Psychology

  
  College can be a highly stressful environment for some individuals. This research study aims to examine whether self-regulation is associated with internalizing symptoms among college students. Previous research has shown that college students are at risk for high rates of mental health problems like depression and anxiety (i.e., internalizing symptoms; Brody et al., 2018). In fact, Brody and colleagues reported that approximately 7.7% of adults in the US, around college are (i.e., 20-29) reported having depression, with that number rising to 10.1% for women in that age range. A study conducted with 374 college students on academic success and its association with internalizing symptoms. Beiter and colleagues reported that in the USA, almost 10% of university students have been diagnosed with, or treated for, depression over the past 12 months (Beiter et al., 2015). These mental health problems can make getting through a time of autonomy more difficult and as such a better understanding of the contributing factors to internalizing problems in college students is needed. Self-regulation can be defined as “controlling one's behavior, emotions, and thoughts in the pursuit of long-term goals” (Cuncic, 2020). This may be an important predictor of internalizing problems. For the current study, we investigated the association between self-regulation and internalizing symptoms via an online questionnaire. Assessments of self-regulation included the Stroop Task (Stroop, 1935) and the Brief Self-Control Scale (Tangney et al., 2004) while the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS; Watson et al., 2007) was used to assess internalizing problems. Data collection is currently ongoing.

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  How Automation Can Make Healthcare More Affordable

  Kailen Bittner

  Kailen Bittner, PSC 399: Research Skills in Political Science
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kyeonghi Baek, Political Science

  
  Automation has accelerated in recent years to improve and scale throughout its development. This research paper looks to investigate the changes automation is having on the economy and productivity. There are many fields in which increased automation will be useful. This paper focuses on three outcomes automation can create in healthcare: affordability, reliability, and reduction of cost. Automation can be used as a tool to assist doctors in making better decisions. This can contribute to a rise in overall quality of care while giving doctors back valuable time, which would be offset by automation. This will also create increased reliability by creating more positive replicable outcomes during treatment. Since automation could help by offloading work that doctors might often be stuck doing, efficiency will also increase. As automation in the medical field increases, this could give other medical professionals more detailed information to assist them in treating patients. This could in turn lower overall healthcare costs and bring more access to affordable healthcare for those who do not have access to healthcare. This research compiles groups of medical practices with automated data processing and compares them to practices without such processing. The expectation is that medical practices that use automated processing will be more efficient and more affordable.

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  Neuropeptide Y and Motivation to Seek Food in Rats

  Michael Brzyski, Gillian Falletta, and Paras Khan

  Michael Brzyski, Psychology, Gillian Falletta, Psychology and Paras Khan, Psychology
  Faculty Mentors: Professor Jean DiPirro, Psychology and Professor Alexis Thompson, Psychology

  
  The present study aims to investigate the effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on motivation to obtain food by implementing a progressive ratio schedule in an operant task in rats. A one-factor experimental design with repeated measures will be used to test this by assessing the effect of three varying doses of NPY, along with a vehicle control, in 24 Long-Evans (hooded) rats at one-week intervals in a counterbalanced manner. Motivation to seek food will be determined by measuring the “break point,” which is the maximum number of active snout pokes in a one-hour span that the rat is willing to make in order to receive a banana-flavored food pellet. Other measures, including number of inactive head entries and amount of food consumed during the experiment, will be assessed to address potential alternative explanations for the results. The main hypothesis for this study is that NPY will increase the number of active hole snout pokes to obtain a food pellet. Data collection is ongoing.

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  The Effect of Physiological Stress on Melatonin Levels

  Michael Brzyski and Marnee Hales

  Michael Brzyski and Marnee Hales, PSY 499: Independent Study
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Naomi McKay, Psychology

  
  The cortisol awakening response can be identified by a surge in cortisol levels 30 minutes post-awakening and a steady decrease in melatonin levels during the day. Melatonin is said to be unrelated to cortisol levels in relation to sleep offset. Currently, however, no studies have looked at how a stressor could influence melatonin levels. The present study hypothesizes that melatonin levels will decline following a stressor. Participants were asked to be 12 hours fasted prior to their appointment. When participants arrived, height and weight were measured, followed by the insertion of an intravenous catheter (IV). Following this, two blood samples were taken prior to and immediately following a mock job interview. After blood samples were collected, plasma was stored in a freezer for future analysis. Each sample will be analyzed for melatonin using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. It is believed that there will be a decrease in melatonin levels from the pre-stress sample to the post-stress sample.

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  Factors that Contribute to Mental Health Disorders Among LGBTQ+ Adolescents

  Lauren Burch

  Lauren Burch, HON 400: All College Honors Colloquium
  Faculty Mentors: Professor Catherine Mazzotta, Social Work and Professor Michael Johnson, Modern and Classical Languages

  
  LGBTQ+ adolescents present and are diagnosed with mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, at higher rates than their straight and cisgender counterparts. Widespread failure to address the specific needs of LGBTQ+ adolescents by schools, health care providers, and communities has prevented equal access to resources and necessary accommodations for the challenges they face. Factors that contribute to the increased rates of mental health disorders among this group will be examined using quantitative and qualitative studies that discuss the barriers and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ adolescents. This project will help create a comprehensive understanding of the factors associated with the increased levels of mental health disorders among this population. This project will also suggest changes that are needed to develop LGBTQ+ culturally sensitive and accessible supports for LGBTQ+ adolescents burdened by behavioral health issues.

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  The Association between Temperament and Aggression in College Students

  Erika Burgasser

  Erika Burgasser, PSY 495: Special Project
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kimberly Kamper-DeMarco, Psychology

  
  Temperament is an important variable that is continuously researched and associated with both positive and negative pathways of development and is thought to continue into adulthood. Temperament has been found to be made up of different factors such as, effortful control, extraversion, sensitivity, and negative affect (Davis et al., 2018). These factors are examined and measured in the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ; Derryberry & Rothbart, 1988) and the focus of the current study. However, rarely have researchers examined how these factors differentially relate to the forms of aggression. Aggression can be comprised of both relational and physical forms in which there is harm imposed. Relational aggression is when harm is being inflicted on the given relationship (i.e. removal of the relationship). While physical aggression is the physical acts of harm (i.e. kicking, hitting, biting, punching, etc.). Both have been adverse effects on the overall well-being of college students (McCormick et al., 2015). We hypothesize that individuals who use relational aggression may have an easier temperament, meaning that those with an easy temperament are more flexible and can adjust quickly, while those who use physical aggression may have a more difficult temperament. In the current study, college students will complete online questionnaires assessing temperament using the ATQ (Derryberry & Rothbart, 1988) and aggressive behavior using the Self-Report of Aggression and Social Behavior Measure (SRASBM; Linder et al., 2002). Data collection is currently ongoing. Analyses will examine correlations and regression analyses regarding study variables.

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  Sanguine Paradise: Effects of Cortisol and Ovarian Hormones on Emotional Memory

  Sean Clark, Brianna Bailey, and Johnathan Fehrer

  Sean Clark, Psychology, Brianna Bailey, Psychology and Johnathan Fehrer, Psychology
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Jean DiPirro, Psychology

  
  This study was designed to investigate the effects of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in the presence of heightened levels of cortisol, on the consolidation of emotional memory in female students. The design was: 3(E2/P4 LEVEL: HIGH [luteal] or LOW [follicular] or LOW [monophasic contraceptives]) x2[STRESSOR: PRESENT or ABSENT] x2[STORY VALENCE: NEGATIVE or NEUTRAL]). Previous research has shown that ovarian sex hormones increase stress-induced cortisol release. Elevated cortisol levels are associated with enhanced emotional memory consolidation. This suggests that in response to a stressor, women with higher ovarian hormone levels will experience greater cortisol release and therefore enhanced emotional memory consolidation compared to women with lower levels of E2 and P4. Accordingly, naturally cycling women in the luteal phase will exhibit better recall for emotional memory consolidation under stress than naturally cycling women in the follicular phase and women taking monophasic hormonal contraceptives. During the pilot study, participants were asked to read two stories created from the Affective Norms for English Text and then rate the emotional valence of the stories. In the primary study, participants were read one of the stories (negative or neutral) while shown slides from the International Affective Picture System before submerging their right hand into either cold water (present) or warm water (absent). One week later, participants were asked to come back for a surprise free-recall test. We expected that stressed women in the luteal phase would recall more emotional elements of a story than their counterparts. Data collection is ongoing.

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  Salivary Alpha Amylase as a Biomarker for Stress Reactivity

  Kristin Czajka

  Kristin Czajka, Biopsychology
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Naomi McKay, Psychology
  
  Recently, the McKay Lab found that salivary cortisol, a biomarker used to measure stress, was blunted among a sample cohort in response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Psychosocial stressors, such as the TSST, have been shown to reliably induce a stress response. The current study aimed to determine if salivary alpha amylase, a digestive enzyme associated with the autonomic nervous system, would be a more suitable biomarker for stress in individuals displaying a blunted cortisol response to stress. Therefore, the current study retrospectively analyzed saliva samples from that previous study to determine the effect that stress had on salivary alpha amylase levels. It was hypothesized that there would be an increase in salivary alpha amylase after exposure to a laboratory stressor, which was tested with a Within-Subjects Analysis of Variance. Time was the within-subjects independent variable and salivary alpha amylase was the dependent variable. Results indicated a significant main effect of time and salivary alpha amylase, (F (2) = 3.75, p=.029). Post hoc analysis indicated that there was a significant increase in salivary alpha amylase between baseline and post-stress, (p=.001). These results suggest that salivary alpha amylase may be a more suitable biomarker for stress among individuals displaying a blunted cortisol response.

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  Salivary Alpha Amylase: An Affect of Identifying as a Stress Eater

  Kristin Czajka and Michael Brzyski

  Kristin Czajka, Biopsychology and Michael Brzyski, Psychology
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Naomi Mckay, Psychology

  
  Salivary alpha amylase (sAA), an enzyme that hydrolyzes starch into glucose, is reliably used as a stress biomarker, yet its association with stress eating is not well understood. The current study aimed to determine if self-categorization of stress eating was predictive of stress-induced elevation in sAA and whether this elevation in sAA was indicative of a reduction in self-rated hunger and self-rated palatability. Participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test, a reliable acute laboratory stressor, and completed a battery of questionnaires measuring personal characteristics, eating patterns during stress, hunger, food liking, and anxiety. Saliva samples were collected at various points throughout the study. It was predicted that those who reported being stress under-eaters would show a greater increase in stress-induced sAA than individuals who reported being stress over-eaters, or reported no dietary change during stress. Results were not significant F(2) = 1.09, p = .403. Additionally, a negative correlation between sAA and self-rated hunger was predicted. While results were not significant (r(9) = -.359, p = .279), the pattern supports the hypothesis. Lastly, a negative correlation between sAA and self-rated palatability of healthy and unhealthy food items was predicted. While results were significant for healthy food (r (9) = .723, p = .012), the pattern was in the opposite direction of the hypothesis. Results were not significant for unhealthy food (r(9) = .095, p = .781). With that said, it is likely that sAA may still have implications for changes in dietary behaviors during times of acute stress.

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  How Safe: What Effect Do New Bail Reform Programs Have on the Public?

  Oliver Dubinsky

  Oliver Dubinsky, PSC 399: Research Skills in Political Science
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kyeonghi Baek, Political Science

  
  The United States criminal justice system is one that has often benefited people in the upper and middle classes and leaves impoverished people with their lives upended due to low level crimes. Almost a half million people are in jail cells every day because they are unable to post bail. The recent bail reform in New York State was met with open arms by advocates who have loved ones confined to jail cells simply due to financial constraints. Although there is not a great deal of research on the effects of the newly proposed bail reform programs in New York State, there is a vast amount of data on the effects of bail reform in other states that have implemented versions of reform in the past (e.g., New Jersey, California, Alaska). So far the findings on the safety of bail reform have turned up two rather obvious results. One view is that it is a necessary program to help people who may not have the financial means to post bail and sometimes plead guilty to a crime they did not even commit. The other view is that bail reform has the reverse effect and lets dangerous criminals back onto the streets without any real repercussions.

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  Nontraditional Child Welfare Placements: A Study on LGBTQ Adoption

  Kathleen Dunne, Alana Kary, Taylor Schneeberger, and Christina Scioli

  Kathleen Dunne, Alana Kary, Taylor Schneeberger and Christina Scioli, CWP 102: Argumentation and Research
  Faculty Mentors: Professor Susan Mary Paige, Academic Success Program and Professor Jane E. Sullivan, College Writing Program

  
  A traditional family unit is typically composed of a female and male parent. Adoptions by same sex couples has alleviated prejudices against non-traditional families however some view this family arrangement as problematic for the children involved. Many countries do not legally allow LGBTQ couples to adopt children. The stigmas surrounding this community, with many opponents standing on their religious beliefs, do not allow same-sex couples to adopt. We believe that allowing LGBTQ couples to adopt would provide stable homes for children in the failing adoption and foster care systems. Previous research studies suggested that children with same-sex parents have less behavioral and social problems and may even have better emotional connections with their parents. We are focusing on the current state of the adoption and foster care systems in conservative states (Texas, Mississippi and South Dakota) that have passed legislation limiting LGBTQ adoptions. We will replicate a study that documented behavioral patterns of children who grew up with LGBTQ parents and compared them to children who grew up with traditional families. With prior IRB approval, we collected data on: (a) the demographics of prospective adoptive families; (b) the numbers of adoptions in each category this; and (c) measures of the adjustment of children adopted by LGBTQ couples compared to traditional families.

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  The Agreement between Different Raters for a Developmental Screening Tool

  Kymberlin Enright

  Kymberlin Enright, PSY 499: Independent Study
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Pamela Schuetze, Psychology

  
  Developmental screenings are used for the early identification of young children for developmental delays or concerns. Although many screening tools are designed to be used by caregivers who are familiar with the child, in reality they are often completed by teachers or other professionals. To date, there is no information about the reliability between caregiver and professional ratings on widely-used developmental screening tools. Thus, the purpose of this study will be to examine inter-rater reliability for developmental screening of young children. Parents of the children at Buffalo State Child Care Center will be asked to screen their own children using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Buffalo State students who have been extensively trained will also screen the children separately to examine inter-rater reliability between the parents and trained administrators. A poster describing the study and results will be prepared to be shared at SRCC.

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  Hengerer's: A Buffalo Legacy

  Madeline Friedler

  Madeline Friedler, MST 623: Digital Museum Collections
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Noelle Wiedemer, Museum Studies

  
  The Hengerer's department store was a staple of the Buffalo area for decades. The William Hengerer Company sold primarily shoes, household goods, apparel, and other accessories. Beginning with William Hengerer, the family and the business were well-known in the area. The Howard D. Beach Collection of glass plate negatives, owned by the Buffalo History Museum, served as the inspiration for this research. As part of the Museum Studies Digital Museum Collections course, the negatives were cleaned, rehoused, and digitized. Among them were portraits of William’s grandchildren. Using genealogy sites, economic reports from the last century, and newspaper articles, a poster of the Hengerer family's personal history and their business enterprise was created. My research attempts to answer a series of questions: Did Buffalo host a family living a life comparable to the Rockefellers? Or was their daily life more comparable to the common citizen? How did the family’s daily life compare to that of their business?

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  Ghrelin and the Stress Response

  Nicolas Giorgianni and Cassandra Lewandowski

  Nicolas Giorgianni, Psychology and Cassandra Lewandowski, Psychology
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Naomi McKay, Psychology

  
  Though a relationship between stress and hyperphagia has been established, little research exists that examines the underlying physiological mechanisms that may cause this relationship. Rodent research suggests that ghrelin (a feeding-stimulatory hormone) may play a crucial role in stress-eating behaviors. The purpose of the current study was two-fold. First, to determine if stress mediates ghrelin release and second, whether consuming a meal after a stressor will affect the ghrelin feeding response. It was hypothesized that ghrelin would increase in the presence of stress and that the intake of a high-carbohydrate/low-fat food item would suppress ghrelin more than a high-fat/low-carbohydrate food item. Upon arrival, participants provided a saliva sample (for cortisol) and were fitted with an indwelling intravenous catheter for blood collections (for ghrelin). After a 45-min relaxation period, a blood and saliva sample were collected, and participants were divided into stress condition groups (stress or no stress), with those in the stress condition undergoing a mild, laboratory stressor. Following the stress condition, blood and saliva were collected again and participants were asked to consume either a high-fat, high-carbohydrate or no food condition. Fifteen minutes after food condition, saliva and blood samples were collected again, and a final blood collection occurred 75-mins after food condition. A mixed-design ANOVA showed an interaction of time x stress (p = .002) and found elevated ghrelin levels were present in participants who underwent the stressor (p = 0.08). These results indicate that stress may stimulate food intake through an elevation in the feeding-stimulatory hormone ghrelin.

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  Election-Day Registration and Voter Turnout

  Kyle Gruber

  Kyle Gruber, PSC 204: Political Statistics
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Keyonghi Baek, Political Science

  
  This research examines the impact election-day registration has had on voter turnout in all 50 states from 1980 until 2016, using a cross-sectional time-series research design. There are two goals for this study. The first is to determine whether states with election-day registration see an increase in voter turnout afterward. The second is, what will comparison data regarding voter turnout demonstrate in states with, versus states without, election-day registration. Based on the relevant literature, this research expects to find that election-day registration will increase voter turnout. A groundbreaking study conducted by Rosenstone and Wolfinger (1978) found that registration deadlines decreased voter turnout by 6 to 9 percent. More recently, restricting registration has become one of the most commonly used tactics by state legislatures to suppress voter turnout; however, methods to combat this problem have been sparse. Election-day registration removes registration deadlines entirely. Not only does this research provide timely and relevant analysis on the impact of election-day registration, it uses a systematic research design with an expanded data set of all 50 states between 1980 and 2016. My presentation will include preliminary findings, as well as relevant information about the current state of election-day registration research.

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  Environmental Decay Through Pesticides

  Sara Hillman

  Sara Hillman, PSC 399: Research Skills in Political Science
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kyeonghi Baek, Political Science

  
  Over the years, Americans have seen bans and reversal of bans on neonicotinoids chemicals throughout presidential administrations. Derived from the meaning “new nicotine-like insecticides,” the term “neonicotinoids” is a broad term for nero-active insecticides that have contributed to the rapid decline in pollinator populations such as butterflies, moths, and bees. While other countries have banned the use of neonicotinoid chemicals, the Environmental Protection Agency still tends to keep the pesticides on the market while only providing restrictions to their use. Additionally, in recent studies there has been an increase in farmers filing for bankruptcy. In 2019, the American Farm Bureau Federation reported a 24-percent increase from previous years. With a great majority of farmers using pesticides for agricultural reasons and advancement of agricultural techniques integrating pesticides into farming, there is a question if the poverty and bankruptcy of farmers contributes to the increase usage of neonicotinoid chemicals. This research investigates and analyzes the relationship between farmer poverty rates and bankruptcies to the production and usage of the neonicotinoid chemicals. By doing so, it would provide data for a recommendation policy that would help farmers find a safe and inexpensive alternative for pesticides.

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  Too Hard to Breathe in Low-Income Minority Communities with the Installation of the Keystone Pipeline

  Sara Hillman

  Sara Hillman, PSC 204: Political Statistics
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kyeonghi Baek, Political Science Department

  
  The City of Alberta, Canada, the beginning of the Keystone Pipeline, sits on a tar sand deposit. Within the deposit is a chemical compound known as bitumen, a type of petroleum that can be converted into fuel. However, crude oil is known as the dirtiest oil because of the difficulty of extracting the oil and cleaning up the crude. Besides the Congressional vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, the states of Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas county’s Board of Commissioners offices have had to vote on whether the installation of the Keystone Pipeline would pass through their counties. People living in low-income communities are reduced to the negative effects of the Keystone Pipeline. TransCanada, the company responsible for the Keystone Pipeline, guaranteed the installation of the Pipeline would bring in thousands of jobs as well as billions of dollars to the United States economy. With this research, I examined two questions: a) whether the economic status of the counties that the pipeline runs through, affected the voting actions of the counties for the Keystone Pipeline proposal, and b) whether the installation of the Keystone Pipeline decreased poverty rates for surrounding counties. I argue that with the route of the pipeline passing through low-income minority communities, the county Boards are more likely to approve the Keystone Pipeline with little consideration of the environmental and human impacts.

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  The Naturalization Process Across Different Administrations

  Anthony Janda

  Anthony Janda, PSC 399: Research Skills in Political Science
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Kyeonghi Baek, Political Science

  
  America has often been referred to as the melting pot of the world. Immigration has always been the backbone of this country. However, since 9/11, Immigration has become one of the most widely debated topics in America. Our views in this country often fall along political lines. Does the Naturalization Process in our country change depending on what political party is in charge? Is there a push/pull effect on the data depending on the political party in charge? I seek to find out what the Naturalization Process looks like over multiple administrations in the United States. My research examines two Republican administrations (H.W. Bush and W. Bush) and two Democratic administrations (Clinton and Obama). These administrations provide an equal number of administrations pre- and post-9/11 with a balanced number of political parties being represented as well. My study variables are policy guidelines, executive orders, citizenship applications, citizenship approvals, wait times, and fees. Background research includes asylum, chain migration, visa lotteries, birthright citizenship, the 14th amendment, and immigration (legal and illegal). The arc of the data and policies over multiple presidencies is projected to accurately tell the real story of the Naturalization Process in America.

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  Relations Between Screen Time on Social Media and Mental Well-being

  Hannah Kanouse

  Hannah Kanouse, PSY 499: Independent Study
  Faculty Mentors: Professor Stephani Foraker, Psychology and Professor Michael MacLean, Psychology

  
  The use of social media and digital devices has become ever-present in our society. This study examined the relationship between time spent on different social media sites and mental well-being, specifically, anxiety and depression, predicting positive correlations. Notably, we examined not only estimated screen time, but actual screen time, which very few studies have assessed. Data from 66 iPhone users from the Buffalo area were collected via Qualtrics online surveys at three time points in one semester; 52 participants completed at least two surveys. Participants reported estimated then actual time spent on social media (Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat) using their iPhone’s screen time tracker, then completed questionnaires for depression, anxiety, and demographics. Interestingly, we found no significant correlations with actual screen time. However, positive correlations between estimated screen time and anxiety occurred. In particular, the more time participants thought they spent on social media, particularly Snapchat and Instagram, the more anxious they were about privacy and interactions online. Regression analysis across time points, though, showed that neither actual nor estimated screen time was a significant predictor of the outcome variables. Specifically, hierarchical regressions further revealed that gender was a significant predictor of anxiety (females higher than males), and that estimated screen time did not significantly explain any further variance. This research adds to our understanding of how social media use impacts our mental well-being in young adulthood. How we think we spend our time can have different impacts than how we truly spend our time.

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  Cortisol Levels Blunted After Eating Palatable Foods

  Cassandra Lewandowski

  Cassandra Lewandowski and Kristin Czajka, PSY 295: Stress and Food-Hormones
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Naomi McKay, Psychology

  
  When people are stressed, they tend to be more inclined to eat highly palatable foods compared to when they are not stressed. This being the reason why there is a link between stress and obesity. What we do not know is why humans are more inclined to eat unhealthy foods. The purpose of the current study is to find out if the cortisol response is blunted after a person eats an unhealthy food item and if there is a difference based on the participants weight class. In this experiment, participants come into the lab and have their weight and height taken. Then they provide a saliva sample to get their baseline level of cortisol. After a waiting period, they give a second saliva sample then move into their stress or non-stress condition. For the stress condition, participants go through a laboratory stressor while the non-stress condition consists of reading a magazine for ten minutes. Next, they give another saliva sample and are given their food condition which is either a high-fat/low-carbohydrate, low-fat/high-carbohydrate, or no food condition. A saliva sample is then collected after and a recovery period follows where one additional sample is collected. The expected results are that the cortisol response will be blunted after eating a food item, with more cortisol being blunted in the high-fat food group. The current study will advance knowledge on the topic of how food can change cortisol levels in humans after going through a stressor.

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  Speech-Language Pathology in Ghana: An African-Centered Exploration

  Bryanna Marshall

  Bryanna Marshall, Speech-Language Pathology
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Marcus Watson, Africana Studies

  
  My research focuses on speech-language pathology in Ghana. I apply my exposure to Africana Studies particularly to methodology and interpretative lens, in response to the cultural limitations of the discipline of speech-language pathology. The National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing at SUNY Buffalo State was founded for this very reason. My paper on my experiences in Ghana is based on my presentation at the 2020 National Council for Black Studies conference in Atlanta. It first summarizes my African-centered research and its relevance to my deep historical, cultural, and psychological connections to the African continent. In my project, I explore opportunities to re-imagine the topic through the critical lens of Africana Studies’ questions and priorities.

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  Can Recency be Overruled: The Effects of Repetition on Jury Decisions

  Brittany-Ann Monahan, Sean Clark, Umme-Salma Amir, Marnee Hales, and Cassandra Lewandowski

  Brittany-Ann Monahan, Psychology and Early Childhood Education, Sean Clark, Psychology, Umme-Salma Amir, Psychology, Marnee Hales, Psychology and Cassandra Lewandowski, Psychology
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Naomi McKay, Psychology

  
  Recency is the effect by which the last few stimuli in a sequence are remembered stronger compared to previous stimuli. Repetition is the idea that repeated stimuli will increase salience. No studies have applied these concepts to a definitive jury decision for a criminal court case. The current study looked to see if the repetition would contribute to a jury decision as much as the recency effect. The hypothesis was that participants would base their verdict on the arguments heard most recently or those that were repeated. There were a total of 41 participants enrolled in a psychology course at SUNY Buffalo State, aged from 18-50. Participants were required to make an innocent or guilty decision based on their impression of a fictional court case, in which the defendant was being charged with manslaughter in the second degree. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six groups based on the order that the passages were read: Pro/Con, Con/Pro, Pro-Pro repeated/Con, Con/Pro-Pro repeated, Pro/Con-Con repeated, Con-Con repeated/Pro. During the 30-minute waiting phase between each side's statement, participants completed a demographics questionnaire and were allowed to sit quietly, but couldn’t use any electronics. After all the statements were read, participants were asked to give a verdict of innocent or guilty. To measure the effect of recency we compared verdicts between pro first and con first groups using a chi-square. Results showed that there was a trending difference between the two conditions (p=.06); in which jurors put more importance on the information read to them last. When measuring repetition we ran a chi-square between the four groups, Pro/Con, Con/Pro, Pro repeated, con repeated and found no significance (p >.1).

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  The Hand that Guides: The Impact of Hand Gestures

  Alexander Orgek

  Alexander Orgek, Psychology
  Faculty Mentor: Professor Stephani M. Foraker, Psychology

  
  As a EURO recipient, I assisted Dr. Foraker with an ongoing experiment that investigates how hand gestures can bias or affect understanding of a sentence, either with or without the gestures in place. To test this, we observed an actor reading a multi-sentence event description while performing a gesture on a very specific word, such as a "seasoning" gesture on the word "finished" in the sentence: "She finished the food as the guests sat down." The participant then answered a yes-no question about whether the character did something that was not stated in the multi-sentence prompt itself, in this instance being, "Did she take the food out of the oven?" for which the answer would have been no. I also participated in this part of the experiment, so that I could better understand how it worked and why certain aspects were used. In addition, I analyzed journal articles that contributed to understanding the process of the experiment, managed schedules for efficacy, and adapted online applications to effectively and efficiently continue research during an unusual situation this semester. I have found the research process much more intriguing than I had previously, by exploring the complete process beyond data collection.