Social Sciences

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

  • Historian says Opposition to Gun Control is Grounded in the Paranoia of Post-Civil War America
    1/11/13
    BUFFALO, N.Y. – “The debate about gun control in this country is not related to American Revolutionary thought, as gun control opponents often claim, but is grounded in the paranoia experienced by whites over the loss of slaves and their own political domination, a state of mind that arose after the Civil War,” says Carole Emberton, PhD, assistant professor of American history at the University at Buffalo.
  • Expert on School Discipline to Present Findings at National Conference
    1/7/13
    BUFFALO, N.Y. – University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education Professor Jeremy D. Finn, PhD, will speak Thursday, Jan. 10, at a national conference on school discipline, suspensions, security and misbehavior, with special emphasis on alternatives to excluding students from schools.
  • How to Buy an Ethical Diamond
    11/27/12
    The holidays are a busy time for engagements, and Trina Hamilton, a University at Buffalo expert in corporate responsibility, says socially minded consumers have a lot to think about when it comes to finding the right rock.
  • UB Experts Available to Discuss Hurricane Sandy
    10/29/12
    University at Buffalo faculty members are available to discuss challenges relating to the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, including threats to buildings, infrastructure and water supplies.
  • UB Researchers to Develop Communication Strategies to Improve Lives of Mothers, Infants in WNY
    10/23/12
    Significant change can stem from a small adjustment. In the case of infant and mother mortality in Buffalo, improving communication can save lives.
  • Famous 'Door-In-The-Face' Persuasion Strategy Results in Verbal, But Not Behavioral Compliance, Study Finds
    10/23/12
    The well-known "door-in-the-face" (DITF) persuasion strategy predicts greater compliance with a target request if it is preceded by a larger and more objectionable request. It has been a popular tool of those in the persuasion trade since it was introduced nearly 40 years ago.
  • Flu Season Has Begun, but Most College Students Ignore the Vaccine
    9/27/12
    Influenza spreads like wildfire on college campuses because of high-density living conditions. Its symptoms -- weakness, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhea are unpleasant but usually not serious, although many people get very sick and thousands die every year in the U.S. from complications of the flu.
  • UB Anthropologist to be Named Honorary Chief of Nigerian Town
    9/24/12
    Along the quiet corridors of the University at Buffalo Department of Anthropology labors a man who, unknown to his colleagues, has been a hero to the Igbomina Yoruba town of Esie (ess-ee-YEH) in southwest Nigeria for nearly five decades.
  • Batman Saves the Day -- and Men's Body Image!
    9/14/12
    Batman's awesome power may come not only from his ability to defeat the likes of Mr. Freeze and the Joker, but from the fact that his mere presence makes his devoted fans feel strong and physically fit.
  • Favorite TV Reruns May Have Restorative Powers, says UB Researcher
    9/6/12
    We hear all the time that we need to get off the couch, stop watching TV and get moving.