Vincent Crescente Explores the Research on Effective Website Design

Vincent Crescent, Verrazano Class of 2018, majored in Computer Science.

I was nearly complete with a Communications major when I realized that I had a passion for computer science. So I switched gears and plugged away at courses. In a way, I moved from thinking about design from the user’s perspective to wanting to work on the back end. I supposed it’s not surprising that when it came to developing a capstone project, I gravitated toward reintegrating the two parts of my academic background.

Vincent built several websites highlighting different eye-catching attributes

My project was very interesting and challenging in many ways. I learned a lot about web development and the large range of choices a designer can make to reach a certain aesthetic. I wanted to find a common answer between designers on what to put in a page to make users feel a desired emotion. I found that knowing your audience well is key to creating such page. One thing I learned is that it’s possible to design your website with eye catching content that ensures it will catch the user’s eye. One student I reviewed used an algorithm that creates a webpage that can most likely make the user look at three different pieces of content in the order that you’d want them to. I find that interesting! There is an abundant amount of research on each attribute a website can have. If I continued researching this topic I would probably focus on color, considering it is the most difficult and most interesting to me. Color, psychology and computer science is a complex but intriguing mix and I look forward to learning more about it. What I would do differently, is organize and write clean code. I used a Udemy course to learn HTML, CSS, Javascript and JQuery to learn web design and create this project beginning in September 2017. I noticed as time went on I would write cleaner code toward the end of the project. Next time I write code for a web page it will be better organized, and it will be because of the lessons I learned in this project. Overall, this project was difficult, interesting and fun, challenging yourself and getting out of your comfort zone is a great way to learn about yourself and grow.

Elizabeth Rassi Deduces that Deductions are Fascinating

Elizabeth Rassi is a Verrazano graduate from the Class of 2018. She majored in Accounting with minors in Business Finance and Business Management

Helping prepare gifts as part of a charity

Being a part of the Verrazano honors program encouraged me to get departmental honors in addition to completing the capstone project. During my junior year, I remember freaking out about how I was ever going to figure out a topic or even complete this project. Taking the Verrazano Capstone class was what calmed my nerves and allowed me to narrow down my research topic. As an accounting major, I did not expect to find research that could actually intrigue me because I'd never thought about research in accounting, only the practice of accounting. After much trial and error, the title of my project became “The Effects of Changes to the Charitable Contribution Tax Deduction.” At the start, I knew I wanted my research to be on taxation because that is where my interest lies. However, I had no idea there would be so much discussion about the charitable contribution deduction specifically. I found myself eager to continue researching all the proposals that looked to change the deduction and understand how these changes would impact both individuals and the charities themselves. During the ending stage of my research, I was offered a position at a local accounting firm where I got to prepare tax returns for individuals. This helped with my research because I was gaining hands-on experience and noticed how many individuals donated to charities compared to how many were actually able to claim the deduction for their donations. Not only was I preparing tax returns, the couple I worked for also ran a few charities which I was able to learn about. I helped them prepare gift boxes to raise money and send out newsletters to keep donors updated on the success of the charity.

Elizabeth investigated taxation in charitable giving

This project turned out to be a great experience and thankfully it was not as scary as I expected. I was able to expand my knowledge and become aware of the importance of keeping up with changes in the tax code. Having a faculty mentor who was also interested in taxation was essential for the successful completion of my project. I am grateful that I was given this opportunity because without being a part of the Verrazano Honors Program I would have never done something like this. I was taken out of my comfort zone but, I am proud of the work I was able to accomplish with the help of many others. Additionally, this research helped confirm that I want my career to focus on taxation once I graduate. I look forward to doing more research to see what happens with the deduction in the future.

Michael Scorie on the History of Psycholinguistics and Finishing his Capstone

Michael Scorie, Verrazano Class of 2018, earned majors in Psychology and Philosophy, and minors in English, East Asian Studies, and History.

A twelve-page essay on the topic of my choice? How easy I thought. After all, I had already written papers of similar length for several classes during my college career. However, it soon became clear to me that this was not just another paper.

            I half-heartedly started my capstone paper in the Spring of 2017. I say half-heartedly because for me, it was a long, drawn-out process. Part of the reason for my apprehension in completing this assignment was because of a combination of school and work that competed for my attention. However, I also realized that this project was in-a-way symbolic of the end of my time at CSI. Having spent three years here, this project lingering over my head was a constant reminder that I would soon have to apply for graduate schools and pay much more serious attention to my future. As someone who hates (or at the very least dislikes) change, I was not looking forward to making potentially life-altering decisions and leaving the place that I had grown so comfortable with and accustomed to.

Though I got off to a slow start, once I organized my thoughts into an outline and started doing research, I really rather enjoyed completing this paper. As I was able to write about any academic subject, I decided to write about the history of psycholinguistics. What I previously learned from my classes very nicely complimented the new information I was learning. I have always been interested in studying how language influences human psychology and vice versa, and this paper gave me the freedom and impetus to do so. As I intend to become a school psychologist, I feel as though what I learned about language can be very helpful when working with children in and out of a school setting. In addition, what I learned can also just as easily be applied to an adult population.

Getting the work done at the library

One of the many things that I learned from my research is that true mastery of a language is very unlikely to occur if one begins to learn said language following puberty. This is a result of a decrease in neuroplasticity in the brain. However, what really stood out to me is that the same holds true for users of signed languages. People who learn a sign language in childhood are far more likely to demonstrate mastery of it than those who learn it in adulthood. In hindsight, I realize that this probably doesn’t surprise anyone all that much. After all, even if you’re one of the few people who knows more than “si” after four years of high school Spanish or Italian (I certainly don’t fall into that category), you still probably find yourself struggling at least a little to keep up with native speakers. This is understandable, and a crucial aspect of what psycholinguistics is all about.

I also learned just how much language can be used to sway psychological research. For example, framing effect is a phenomenon where one’s choice is dependent on how two or more stimuli are presented. In one study I reviewed, native Thai speakers were more willing to select a risky option when presented said options in English than in Thai (with researchers hypothesizing that this is due to first languages being associated with early basic emotions). Perhaps most interesting to me however was wording effect. This occurs when words or the ordering of words can sway a studies results. One of the main causes of this is when researchers use synonyms to describe something when another word may be more fitting. I think this is something that most of us encounter in our lives. Despite having similar or even identical definitions, do “good,” “okay,” and “fine” really have the same meaning?

            I had a lot of initial apprehension in completing this project, but I’m glad that I (eventually) finished it. I learned a lot, and even the knowledge that won’t help me in my future career is still very much welcome. I’m grateful to my faculty advisor who helped me organize my ideas and motivated me to meet and exceed my deadlines, and I’m grateful to the Verrazano School for four years of amazing opportunities.