# Quantifying the attentional template

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2020 · $375,694

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Attention is a set of core cognitive functions that supports purposeful behaviors. Attention is necessary
for accomplishing daily activities such as locating groceries at a shop, ingredients in the kitchen, car keys on
the desk, or a friend at a party. One mechanism of attention that supports these behaviors involves the
maintenance of information about the task goal, or the "target" objects, within an "attentional template" over
time. The concept of a "template" is ubiquitous in models of attention, but little is known about its mechanisms.
Recent evidence suggests that there is considerable variability in the quality and contents of information held in
the template over time and individuals. The purpose of this proposal is to understand why that occurs, and the
consequences of variability on behavioral performance. We will build convergent evidence using a combination
of methods including: behavioral testing of individuals across the full spectrum of attentiveness, fMRI patterns
and network analyses in healthy young adults, and behavioral testing of patients with prefrontal lesions due to
stroke.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869912
- **Project number:** 5R01MH113855-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Joy Jia Geng
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $375,694
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-20 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869912

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869912, Quantifying the attentional template (5R01MH113855-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869912. Licensed CC0.

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