Megan Stutesman

Megan Stutesman earned her PhD 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 in 2024. Her research falls into three primary areas including psychology of the arts, social cognitive development, and contextual influences on development. Megan employs quantitive, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches in her work. Her dissertation used mixed methods to examine how dance education is implicated in children’s social cognitive development. Prior to her PhD studies, 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. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow with the Developing Belief Network at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Outside of academia, she enjoys teaching dance classes to children and adults and gardening.