My research program is aimed at characterizing the neural processes and task conditions associated with successful auditory attention in a distracting environment.

At any given moment our senses are flooded with relevant and irrelevant information. The ability to remain focused on a task (e.g., listening to GPS directions), in the presence of irrelevant distractors vying for attention (e.g., a radio playing in the background), is fundamental for successful cognitive function. A fundamental question is how the brain controls enhancement and suppression of distraction under various task load conditions. Specifically, I am interested in the relationship between task load and auditory distractor processing; the networks involved in this selection process; how these networks are modulated by the ‘locus of selection’ (early vs. late selection); how these networks change in aging; the role that attention plays in speech perception; and how attention modulates neural activity in auditory cortex.

To address these questions I use noninvasive physiological techniques – functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potentials (ERPs) – with behavioral and psychophysical measures.