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from CerebrumFall2021
S
A MAGICIAN,
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IT’S UNCONVENTIONAL TO OPENLY DEMONSTRATE THE PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT OF hand before hundreds of neuropsych- iatrists. Yet I found myself doing just that at the virtual American Neuro- psychiatric Association conference in March of 2021. While simultaneously studying neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania and performing sleight of hand magic shows at venues in the Philadelphia area, I was recruited by two researchers to collaborate on their talk: “The Neuropsychiatry of Magic.” In my portion, I explained how magicians take advantage of limita- tions in our perceptual systems, the narrowness of our attention, and the ease with which our memories can be manipulated.