Anna S. Caruso, who mostly goes by Sofie, is currently a third year PhD student in Dr. Goldstein’s lab. She graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with both a BA in psychology and a BMA in Opera Vocal Performance. Her Research in the PLAY lab has included studying how people do or do not engage in a variety of artistic and imaginative forms (i.e., music, stories, pretense). This work has included examining how children engage in immoral pretend play, how adults consider extramusical information when engaging with music, and how opera and musical theater performers view the differences across theatrical-musical productions.
Additionally, Anna is a passionate educator. She is also working with Dr. Alison Melley at GMU to develop an open access resource for Introductory Psychology students and instructors following the updated APA Introductory Psychology Initiative guidelines by developing the resource around key integrative themes and diverse, current research in the field.
Her current research interests include music performance, imagination, engagement, and morality.