Why do we move our eyes? In daily life, our eyes move three to four times every second, yet the neural and cognitive processes that lead to the selection of where we will look next, and then execute the appropriate eye movement, are entirely unconscious and automatic. We, like other animals, move our eyes, heads, and bodies in the world to direct our sensory organs to targets in the world that our brains deem important. Much like walking or reaching to pick up a cup, we take this amazing ability for granted – until something causes it to break.
    Our primary focus is on the mechanisms, representations, and transformations that make the abovementioned function possible. We investigate these questions using intricate behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological studies applied to appropriate animal species or humans as necessary. This question – of what attention is and how it is implemented and why it works – is of great interest not only from the point of view of understanding the anatomy and physiology, but also for its application in medicine and artificial intelligence. There is also a strong expectation that understanding the principles of the “simpler” visuo-ocular-motor control system will give us hints into how the brain organizes more “complex” perceptual and motor control systems.