9412585 Shimp Abstract The ability to rapidly shift attention is an essential aspect of adaptive behavior. Different types of attentional shifts are well known in humans. One type involves shifting attention between different levels of the environment. For example, one can look at a landscape and see the forest or see the trees. Another type involves shifting attention between novel and familiar stimuli. Dr. Shimp is working to develop innovative new procedures for the study of these attentional phenomena in animals. These new procedures will lead to new information about the mechanisms underlying attentional shifts and will allow techniques from behavioral neuroscience to be brought to bear on their biological bases.
