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I received my BA in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario in 1992, my MSc in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo in 1995, and my PhD in Kinesiology and Psychology from the University of Waterloo in 1998.
Prior to joining Laurier, I was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Guelph (1998-1999).
My program of research is an attempt to understand lateral preference and performance first from a bottom-up perspective to determine the motor requirements for particular tasks, and secondly, from a top-down perspective of how the brain is lateralized for skilled movement. My research to date has attempted to answer why there is a preferred-hand advantage in motor tasks and how this advantage is related to hand preference, in order to understand handedness and manual asymmetries, as well as how the hemispheres are organized for motor control in complex, goal-directed movement. In the last several years, I have focused my research on the development of handedness across the lifespan, in typically-developing individuals and those with developmental disabilities.
I have research assistantships opportunities for undergraduate students interested in development of handedness across the lifespan. Contact me for more information.
I am willing to supervise graduate students in the areas of motor control, motor development, and motor learning, and in particular those with an interest in developmental disabilities.
- Scharoun, S. M. and Bryden, P. J. (2014). “Hand preference, performance abilities and hand selection in children”. Frontiers in Psychology. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00082.
- Hackney, A. L., VanRuymbeke, N., Bryden, P. J., and Cinelli, M. (2014). “Direction of single obstacle circumvention in middle-aged children”. Gait and Posture, doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2014.03.005.
- Scharoun, S.M., Reinders, N.J., Bryden, P.J., & Fletcher, P.C. (2014). “Dance movement therapy interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders”. American Journal of Dance Therapy, in press.
- Scharoun, S. M., Pinkerton, J. L., & Bryden, P. J. (2013). “Motor planning skills in neurotypical development and autism spectrum disorder: end- and beginning state comfort. In Motor Behavior and Control: New Research.
- Gooderham, S. E. and Bryden, P. J. (2013). Does your dominant hand become less dominant with time? The effects of aging and task complexity on hand selection. Developmental Psychobiology, Jun 13, DOI 10.1002/dev.21123.
- Scharoun, S. M. and Bryden, P. J. (2013). The development of end- and beginning state comfort in a cup manipulation task. Developmental Psychobiology, Mar 26. doi: 10.1002/dev.21108.
- Scharoun, S. M. Bryden, P. J, Otipkova, Z., Musalek, M., & Lejcarova, A. (2013). Motor skills in Czech children with ADHD and their neurotypical counterparts. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34(11): 4142-4153. DOI:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.08.011.
Contact Info:
Office location: BA502, Bricker Academic Building
Office hours:
By appointment.
Languages spoken: English