Learning, the Arts and the Brain- Link to research article from the Dana Consortium

How does learning art, music, or dance impact our cognitive abilities?  

Here is a reposting from my TechPsych blog:

I came across an interesting article Education Week, written by Debra Viadero, that reviews some of the findings of a report by the Dana Foundation. The report is the result of three years of research conducted by a variety of neuroscientists and psychologists who investigated the impact of training in art, music, and dance on thinking abilities.

Here is the link:
Learning, Arts, and the Brain (pdf)
(Organized by Michael Gazzaniga, Edited by Carolyn Asbury, ScM.P.H., Ph.D. and Barbara Rich, Ed.D.)

I noticed that two of the researchers were people who were strong influences on me when I an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan. John Jonides, Ph.D., was a professor for one of my psychology courses, and introduced me to the work of Michael Posener, Ph.D, another contributor to Learning, Arts, and the Brain. Dr. Jonides is currently the Daniel J. Weintraub Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and co-director of the fMRI Center at the University of Michigan. Dr. Posener is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Oregon and the Adjunct Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Weill Medical College of Cornell.

-Lynn