Cognition and Dance

February 18, 2022
Madison Card

Madison (Sonny) Card, a senior psychology major, began a professional career in the performing arts, developing choreographic works and performance styles of dance. After attending the California Institute of Arts, she discovered the science of dance and transferred to UNT as a McNair Scholar to study psychology. As an Undergraduate Research Fellow, she has investigated individual differences in formally trained dancers’ cognitive functions to inform methods of treatment for cognitive impairment and decline. Card’s experience conducting research through the McNair Scholars program, along with the support of her mentor Anthony Ryals in UNT’s Neurocognitive Laboratory, gave her the confidence to apply for competitive graduate programs and research fellowships. After she graduates in May, she plans to pursue her Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience.