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Current Research:
Barry Giesbrecht
On a moment-by-moment basis we are faced with an environment that is
in a continual state of flux, changing over time and space. Coherent and
adaptive behavior in this complex environment is supported by the interplay
of a variety of sensory, perceptual and cognitive systems. Attention,
for instance, provides a powerful coping mechanism that mediates the selective
processing of information that is consistent with our current behavioral
goals and intentions. The purpose of the research conducted in my lab
is to clarify the perceptual, cognitive, and neural mechanisms of selective
attention. More specifically, my research uses vision as a model information
processing pathway to investigate three fundamental questions about attention:
1) What are the functional consequences selective attention? 2) What are
the mechanisms that control the selective effects of attention? and 3)
How is selective attention shaped by experience? Although these questions
have been the focus of much investigation and heated debate over the years,
the vast majority of this work has been focused on the importance of spatial
location as a key determinant of efficient selective information processing
(e.g., Posner, 1980). My research program, on the other hand, has made
novel contributions to the current understanding of these questions by
providing a systematic and detailed analysis of the properties of attention
that are not strictly spatial in nature. The key to the success of my
research program is an empirical approach that combines the experimental
rigor of cognitive psychology and multiple measures of brain function
(functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography
(EEG), and neuropsychology). Using these methods, my work converges on
the notion that selective attention is a flexible information processing
mechanism that adjusts dynamically to our internal goals and our external
world.
Faculty Home | Current Research | Selected Publications
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