Megan Stutesman

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 falls into three primary areas including psychology of the arts, social cognitive development, and contextual influences on 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.