Megan Stutesman
Megan Stutesman
Graduate Research Assistant
Applied Developmental Psychology: Embodied cognition, social cognition, social and emotional development, psychology of the arts
Megan Stutesman is PhD Candidate in Applied Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University, working under Dr. Thalia Goldstein in the Play Learning Arts and Youth Lab. She earned a BS in Psychology and a BA in Dance from the University of Washington and a MSEd in Human Development from the University of Pennsylvania. Before returning to graduate school, Megan spent several years working as a professional dancer, teaching dance, and working with children on the Autism spectrum. While at the University of Pennsylvania, she worked at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships conducting program evaluation research on extracurricular programs for K-8 students in West Philadelphia public schools. Her research interests include psychology of dance, embodied cognition, and social cognitive development. Her current dissertation work uses mixed methods to examine how dance education is implicated in children's social cognitive development. Outside of academia, she teaches dance classes to children and adults at local northern Virginia dance studios.
Courses Taught
PSYC 312 - Educational Psychology
PSYC 211 - Developmental Psychology
PYSC 100 - Basic Concepts in Psychology
Education
MSEd in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development, University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education
BS in Psychology, University of Washington
BA in Dance, University of Washington
In the Media
Stutesman's research discussed in 2023 Washington Post Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/01/10/theater-kids-communication-empathy/