Welcome to Geng Attention Lab
Our sensory worlds are filled with information, but we are only aware of a small proportion of it at any particular moment in time. Attention is the mechanism that prioritizes processing according to our goals. But what determines what our goals are and how well we can maintain them over time and in the face of distractions? Research in the lab focuses on how behavioral goals and prior experiences interact with future expectations to determine perception and cognition. To study these topics we use a combination of eye-tracking, psychophysics, virtual reality, fMRI and EEG/ERPs, and work with others to use TMS, pharmacology and patient studies.
We work closely with other labs at UC Davis that are also interested in issues of visual cognition. See us here: visualcognition.ucdavis.edu. Also check out our UC Davis community: Psychology, Neuroscience Consortium.
Our lab is committed to a work environment that is positive, supportive, and productive. To learn more, see our lab manual.
Lab news!
6/2024 Shea and Beth walk! Look out for more exciting papers from their dissertation work!
6/2024 Congratulations to Cailey, Zoe, and Eliana on graduating! This group made the VR work happen and we're so grateful for their contributions.
6/2024 Congrats to Cailey on starting as a Research Associate with Jeremy Wolfe!
5/2024 Congrats to Makayla and Shea for being honored with a VSS travel fellowship!
12/2023 Congrats to Raisa on finishing her PhD!
8/2023 Congrats to Diana on starting as a Research Assistant in Kia's lab at Yale!
8/2023 Congrats to Joe on becoming an Assistant Professor at Sichuan Normal University! Looking forward to seeing work from his new lab!
10/2023 Congratulations to Phil on his graduation and move to NIH to work with Thorsten Kahnt, and publishing his final dissertation paper in Journal of Neuroscience!
6/2023 Congrats to Beth on being awarded a UCOP dissertation fellowship!
2/2023 Congratulations to PI Shea for being awarded an NRSA fellowship!
2/2023 Xinger starts a Postdoc at Vanderbilt with Geoff Woodman. We'll miss you, Xinger!
1/2023 Congrats to Phil on being awarded the department dissertation fellowship!
9/2022 Two awesome new PhD students, Makayla & Cat started in the lab!
9/2022 Shea's first first-author paper published in PB&R
2/2022 Congratulations to Phil on being awarded a VSS travel grant! St. Pete, here we come!
12/2021 Congratulations to Xinger on being awarded her PhD!
5/2021 Congratulations to Phil, Beth, Xinger, and Tara for creating terrific presentations and winning awards for them at the Psych SA conference!
4/2021 Congratulations to a couple of awesome undergraduate research assistants as they take the next step into graduate school! Congrats to Jocelyn and Zoe on accepting PhD positions at UCSB and UC Merced!
1/2021 Joy joins AP&P as an action editor
8/2020 James S. McDonnell Foundation grant on using VR to probe memory and attention with Ghetti lab is funded!
8/2020 Bo's first fMRI paper is in press at Cortex!
8/2020 Jocelyn Huerta receives a Provost’s Undergraduate Fellowship. Congratulations Jocelyn!