Steven J Harrison

Assistant Professor

Perception and Action Movement Lab
Physical Therapy Program

University Titles:

  • Assistant Professor, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Department of Kinesiology
  • Associate Director, Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences

Academic Degrees:

  • Ph.D. University of Connecticut, 2007

Areas of Expertise:

  • Experimental Psychology
  • Ecological Psychology
  • Dynamical Systems Theory
  • Complexity Science
  • Human Action (motor control)
    • Balance
    • Gait
    • Coordinated movement
    • Tool use
    • Navigation
    • Interpersonal action coordination
  • Human Perception
    • Haptic perception (dynamic touch)
    • Visual perception

Teaching Responsibilities

  • PT 5430 Functional neuro-biomechanical relationships
  • PT 5432 Motor control and clinical applications
  • PT 5440 Evidence-Based Practice in Physical Therapy

Biography

Steven J. Harrison, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Doctoral Physical Therapy (DPT) Program at the University of Connecticut, Storrs campus, and is the Coordinator of the DPT Student Capstone Research. He is the Associate Director of the Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action (CESPA) and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Psychological Sciences. Prior to joining UConn, Dr. Harrison was previously a Research Fellow at the Center for Research in Human Movement Variability at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the Center for Cognition, Action & Perception (CAP) at the University of Cincinnati.

Research Summary

Steven Harrison conducts basic and applied science related to human perception, action, and cognition.

Basic Science Research: Dr. Harrison conducts experimental studies that explore the role of perception, action, and cognition in supporting our ability to effectively perform actions such as balance, coordinated movement, interpersonal coordination and communication, gait, navigation, and tool use. Much of this work explores the role of the haptic perceptual system in the control of action, and perception of action-relevant information. His basic science research is influenced by Ecological Psychology of James Gibson, and the writings of Nicholai Bernstein. Many of Dr. Harrison’s studies use modelling approaches and analyses drawn from the fields of Complexity Science and Dynamical Systems Theory. Most of this research is conducted in the Perception-Action Research Laboratory (PARL) located in the Center for Ecological Study of Perception and Action.

Applied Science Research: Dr. Harrison conducts applied research aimed at developing and experimentally testing prototype technologies related to improving the effectiveness of human perception and action capabilities. The design of these prototypes, and experimental methods used to evaluate them, are directly inspired by theories, concepts, and methods revealed in the contemporary basic science of human perception and action. Dr. Harrison is currently investigating prototype technologies designed to improve the ability of Firefighters to navigate smoke filled buildings. He is also investigating prototype technologies designed to improve standing and walking balance. Most of this research is conducted in the Perception-Action Research Laboratory–Applied (PARL-A) located in the Horsebarn Hill Sciences Complex.

Selected Publications

  1. Harrison, S. J., Reynolds, N., Bishoff, B., Stergiou, N., & White, E. (2022). Homing tasks and distance matching tasks reveal different types of perceptual variables associated with perceiving self-motion during over-ground locomotion. Experimental Brain Research. 240(4), 1257-1266.
  2. Harrison, S. J., Reynolds, N., Bishoff, B., & Stergiou, N. (2021). Assessing the relative contribution of vision to odometry via manipulations of gait in an over-ground homing task. Experimental Brain Research.1305-1316.
  3. Pouw, W., Harrison, S. J., De Jonge-Hoekstra, L., Dixon, J. A. (2020). Gesture-speech physics in fluent speech and rhythmic upper limb movements. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 89-155.
  4. Pouw, W., Paxton, A., Harrison, S. J., & Dixon, J. A. (2020). Multimodal origins of the human voice: Acoustic information about upper limb movement in voicing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117(21), 11364-11367.
  5. Harrison, S. J., Bonnette, S., & Malone, M. (2020). For humans navigating without vision, navigation depends upon the layout of mechanically contacted ground surfaces. Experimental Brain Research, 238, 917-930.
  6. Harrison, S. J., Kinsella-Shaw, J. M., & Dotov, D. (2020). Effects of footedness and stance asymmetry confirm an inter-leg metastable coordination dynamics of standing posture. Journal of Motor Behavior, 53, 135-156.
  7. Harrison, S. J. (2020). Perception of distance traversed via a two-legged hopping gait is inconsistent with a gait symmetry theory of human haptic odometry. Ecological Psychology. 32, 58-78.
  8. Pouw, W., Harrison, S. J., & Dixon, J. (2020). Gesture-Speech Physics: The Biomechanical Basis for the Emergence of Gesture-Speech Synchrony. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 149, 391-404
  9. Harrison, S. J., & Turvey, M. T. (2019) Odometry. In: Vonk J., Shackelford T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham.
  10. Lamb, M., Nalepka, P., Kallen, R., Lorenz, T., Harrison, S. J., Minai, A. A., & Richardson, M. J. (2019). A Hierarchical Task Dynamic Approach for Naturally Adaptive Human-Agent Pick-and-Place Interactions. Complexity, 5964632.
  11. Harrison, S. J., Hough, M., Schmid, K., Groff, B. R., Stergiou, N. (2018). When Coordinating Finger Tapping to a Variable Beat the Variability Scaling Structure of the Movement and the Cortical BOLD Signal are Both Entrained to the Auditory Stimuli. Neuroscience. 392, 203-218.
  12. Lamb, M., Kallen, R.W., Harrison, S. J., di Bernardo, M., Minai, A., & Richardson, M.J. (2017). To Pass or Not to Pass: Modeling the movement and affordance dynamics of a pick and place task. Frontiers. 8(1061), 1-23.
  13. Richardson, M. J., Washburn, A., Kallen, R. W., & Harrison, S. J. (2016). Symmetry and the Behavioral Dynamics of Social Coordination. In P. Passos and K. Davis (Eds.). Interpersonal Coordination and Performance in Social Systems (pp. 65-82). Routledge.
  14. McCamley, J. & Harrison, S. J., (2016). Introduction. In N. Stergiou (Ed.). Non-Linear analyses for human movement variability. New York, Taylor & Francis.
  15. Harrison, S. J. & Stergiou, N. (2015). Complex adaptive behavior and dexterous action. Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences. 19, 345-394.
  16. Richardson, M. J., Harrison, S. J., Kallen, R. W., Walton, A., Eiler, B. A., Saltzman, E., & Schmidt, R. C. (2015). Self-Organized Complementary Joint Action: Behavioral dynamics of an interpersonal collision-avoidance task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 41, 665-679.
  17. Kinsella-Shaw, J., Harrison, S. J., Carello, C., & Turvey, M. T. (2013). The laterality of quiet standing in old and young. Experimental Brain Research. 231, 383-396.
  18. Eiler, B. A., Kallen, R. W., Harrison, S. J., & Richardson, M. J. (2013). Origins of order in joint activity and social behavior. Ecological Psychology. 25, 316-326.
  19. Harrison, S. J., Kuznetsov, N. & Breheim, S. (2013). Flexible kinesthetic distance perception: When do your arms tell you how far you have walked? Journal of Motor Behavior. 45, 239-247.
  20. Turvey, M. T., Harrison, S. J., Frank, T., Pinto, M. & Carello, C. (2012). Human odometry verifies the symmetry perspective on human gaits. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 38, 1014-1025.
  21. Kinsella-Shaw, J., Harrison, S. J., & Turvey, M. T. (2011). Inter-leg coordination in quiet standing: Influence of Age and Visual Environment on Noise and Stability. Journal of Motor Behavior. 43, 285-294.
  22. Harrison, S. J., Hajnal, A., Lopresti-Goodman, S., Isenhower, R. W. & Kinsella-Shaw, J. M. (2011). Perceiving the action-relevant properties of tools through dynamic touch: Effects of mass distribution, exploration style and intention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 37, 193-206.
  23. Harrison, S. J. & Turvey, M. T. (2010). Place learning by mechanical contact. Journal of Experimental Biology. 213, 1436-1442.
  24. Bonnet, C., Kinsella-Shaw, J., Frank, T., Bubela, D., Harrison, S. J., & Turvey, M. T. (2010). Deterministic and stochastic postural processes: Effects of task, environment, and age. Journal of Motor Behavior, 42, 85-97.
  25. Hajnal, A., Richardson, M. J., Harrison, S. J., & Schmidt, R. C. (2009). Location but not amount of stimulus occlusion influences the stability of visuo-motor coordination. Experimental Brain Research, 199, 89-93.
  26. Turvey, M. T., Romaniak-Gross, C. A., Isenhower, R. W., Arzamarski, R., Harrison, S. J., & Carello, C. (2009). Human odometer is gait-symmetry specific. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 276, 4309-4314.
  27. Silva, P., Harrison, S. J., Kinsella-Shaw, J., Carello, C., & Turvey, M. T. (2009). Lessons for dynamic touch from a case of stroke-induced motor impairment. Ecological Psychology, 41, 291-307.
  28. Harrison, S. J. & Richardson, M.J. (2009). Horsing around: Spontaneous four-legged coordination. Journal of Motor Behavior, 41, 519-524.
  29. Bohannon, R.W., Harrison, S. J., & Kinsella-Shaw, J. M. (2009). Reliability and validity of pendulum test measures of spasticity obtained with the polhemus tracking system from patients with chronic stroke. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 6, 1-7.
  30. Harrison, S. J. & Turvey, M. T. (2009). Carried load affects human odometry for travelled distance but not straight-line distance. Neuroscience Letters, 469, 140-143.
  31. Arzamarski, R., Harrison, S. J., Hajnal, A. & Michaels, C. F. (2007). Lateral ball interception: Hand movements during linear ball trajectories. Experimental Brain Research, 177, 312-323.
  32. Michaels, C. F., Weier, Z. & Harrison, S. J. (2007). Using vision and dynamic touch to perceive the affordances of tools. Perception, 36, 750-772.
  33. Hajnal, A., Fonseca, S., Harrison, S. J., Kinsella-Shaw, J. & Carello, C. (2007). A comparison of dynamic (effortful) touch by hand and foot. Journal of Motor Behavior, 39, 82-88.
  34. Kinsella-Shaw, J. M., Harrison, S. J., Colon-Semenza, C. & Turvey, M. T. (2006). Effects of the visual environment on quiet standing by young and old adults. Journal of Motor Behavior, 38, 251-264.

Selected Grants

  • 2019 – Team Member, Dell Systems. Funds to support the development of a novel biofeedback device for firefighters.
  • 2019 – Principal Investigator, OVPR Research Excellence Program. A grant to develop advanced positional technologies for understanding and improving real world functional mobility and navigation skills.
  • 2019 – Co-Director, Revision Military. Research partnership supporting the development of augmented reality system for improving battlefield situational awareness.
  • 2013-2018 – Investigator, National Institutes of Health. Multiyear collaborative R01 grant studying and modelling how two or more people coordinate their actions.
  • 2019 – Co-Principal Investigator, Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Studying coordinated human behavior in simulated firefighter search-and-rescue tasks.
  • 2019 – Co-Principal Investigator, OVPR START Preliminary Proof-Of-Concept Fund. A study of coordinated team behavior in simulated firefighter search-and-rescue tasks.
  • 2019 – Co-Principal Investigator, BIRC. A study of the neuromuscular characteristics and coordination dynamics of upper extremity ligament (UCL) injury.

Current Graduate Students

  • Spencer Ferris, PhD Candidate, Ecological Psychology.
  • Steven Masi, PhD Candidate, Ecological Psychology.
  • Andrew Slater, PhD Candidate, Biomedical Engineering.
Contact Information
Emailsteven.harrison@uconn.edu
Mailing Address3107 Horsebarn Hill Rd U-4137 Storrs, CT 06269
Office LocationRm 021 Bio Building 4