INQUIRY

New York University • College of Arts and Science
choice set can increase the probability of choosing the item
that dominates it, a revolutionary violation of the Irrelevance
of Independent Alternatives Axiom. While plenty of examples
can found in the literature from the 1970s and onward
pertaining to the introduction of brands, only hypothetical
examples in the realm of gastronomy are mentioned. After
collecting data in the form of manipulated menus from
over 552 diners at New York establishments and having
econometrically determined the statistical significance of
its implications, this study will argue for verifying the findings
of Huber et al. and Ariely and Robertson and will thus
supplement the prevailing theory of choice in behavioral
economics from a unique angle.
More than Just a Subway Dance: Litefeet as a Multifaceted
Means of Upward Mobility
Madeleine Vidger, Sociology
Sponsor: Professor Ruth Horowitz, Sociology
This study follows a group of young African American
males who comprise Litefeet, a dance movement that
emerged in the mid-2000s on the subway system of New
York City. Litefeet is an improvised, energetic, acrobatic
dance form that appropriates the subway car as its stage. In
addition to gaining popularity among train riders, the advent
of social media has accrued online fame for these public performers,
leading to high-profile projects with international
brands, figures in the music industry, commercials and magazine
spreads. Their success has transformed Litefeet into a
means of upward mobility for the individuals involved, who,
as African American males born out of the inner city, have
largely been excluded from conventional opportunities for
economic prosperity. However, Litefeet is about more than
doing flips across train cars: members participate in other
art forms that supplement the performance, such as music
making and clothing design. Making use of ethnographies
collected from traveling around with NYC’s most renowned
subway dance crew, the dynamic structure of creative young
entrepreneurs that holds Litefeet together as a modern artistic
movement is uncovered and how these performers’ success
stories represent a wider re-conceptualization of the American
Dream narrative in the social media era.
The Urban Death Dilemma: Making Room for Memorialization
in Twenty-First-Century New York City and
Beyond
Claire Voon, Art History, Journalism
Sponsor: Professor Brooke Kroeger, Journalism
Approximately 51,000 people die annually in New York
City, and two-thirds of the deceased are prepared for earthen
burials. But many cemeteries within the five boroughs
increasingly struggle to find space as their land supplies
deplete each year. Urbanization, beginning in the nineteenth
century, has left graveyards landlocked and unable to expand
their boundaries, and no plans exist to establish a completely
new cemetery. Drawing on original interviews with industry
professionals and extensive historical research, this project
explores how New York City’s cemetery business plans to
respond to land pressures and continue operating to serve
those who purchased burial rights for perpetuity. As space
becomes increasingly scarce and sales decline, many cemetery
directors are devising solutions that not only maximize
the potential of any remaining land but also establish sufficient
funds to continue maintaining the grounds indefinitely
if they do reach capacity. Cemeteries also have to consider
current consumer trends when innovating; the rise of cremation
and increased environmental concerns, which weren’t
relevant until recent decades, reveal some desire to shift from
resource-consuming burials, and research in new models of
memorialization is emerging. The urban death industry is
gradually evolving, reflecting changing attitudes in how we
decide to memorialize loved ones.
Know Thy Outgroup: Promoting Accurate Judgments of
Political Attitude Differences through a Conflict Mindset
Kate Voorheis, Psychology
Sponsor: Professor Yaacov Trope, Psychology
People tend to assume political outgroup members
hold different beliefs than they do. At first glance, this is not
surprising. However, research has consistently demonstrated
people inaccurately view Americans with opposing ideologies
as being more polarized than they actually are. This
project tested a novel way by which accuracy in perceiving
outgroup members’ attitudes can be increased. It was
proposed that individuals might exaggerate self-outgroup
attitude differences because they construe outgroup members
as being highly distant from the self. Thus, bridging the
perceived distance between oneself and outgroup members
could facilitate more accurate perceptions. It was proposed
that tacitly activating a mindset (i.e., a general mode of
processing information) characterized by the consideration
of conflicting perspectives may serve this purpose. Indeed,
it was found that participants who were instructed to write
about their own conflicting goals construed outgroup
members as being closer to the self and, in turn, were more
accurate in perceiving their attitudes. Erroneously perceiving
how others experience social reality holds pernicious
consequences for achieving social progress. The present
research raises a key implication for generating greater
accuracy in social judgments.
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