In real world situations, we can process only a limited amount of information. Consequently, our nervous system has to choose which information to process and which to ignore based on attentional orienting, the type of stimuli surrounding us and the value of these stimuli. The primary focus of my research is on the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying attentional orienting and object (object, word and face) recognition. Of particular interest is the interaction between higher and lower cortical systems and their influence on the way we perceive our surrounding world and scan it for relevant information. Throughout my research, I consider the influence of subcortical regions in many of the cognitive processes traditionally regarded as involving higher-order cerebral cortex. I take as a starting point the hypothesis that most cognitive processes are basic processes that should also be evident in some form in less evolved species. Most animals should have the ability to detect specific types of ‘object’ categories to have the ability to perform an optimal foraging and to orient attention to reinforcing locations. In contrast, most neuro-scientific research focuses mainly on cortical involvement in cognitive processes (perhaps because of the difficulty in imaging subcortical regions). The involvement of subcortical regions seems unjustifiably ignored.

My primary approach, experimental cognitive neuropsychology, involves studying the behavior of adults with focal lesions to the ocular motor visual system, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) investigations with normal and ocular motor-damaged subjects, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of normal participants as well as using the archer fish as a model for early evolutionary species. All of this is done while using well-established, robust experimental tasks.  I adopt this multi-pronged approach to obtain converging evidence for the functional and neural mechanisms responsible for a range of complex mental operations involved in visual cognition

Distinguishing subcortical from cortical influences in visual attention and perception; visual attention; perception; the interaction between attentional systems; inhibition of return.

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Leadner, K., Sekely, L., Klein, R. M., & Gabay, S. (2021). Evolution of social attentional cues: Evidence from the archerfish. Cognition, 207, 104511. [PDF]

Soloveichick, M., Kimchi, R., & Gabay, S. (2021). Functional involvement of subcortical structures in global-local processing. Cognition, 206, 104476. [PDF]

Peskin, N., Koren, D., & Gabay, S. (2020). Subcortical neural tracks play an important role in executive function in schizophrenia: An experimental study among patients with schizophrenia and healthy comparisons. Schizophrenia Research, Cognition, 22, 100185. [PDF]

Nafcha, O., Morshed-Sakran, A., Shamay-Tsoory, S., & Gabay, S. (2020). The effect of co-actor group membership on the social inhibition of return effect. Acta Psychologica, 208, 103119. [PDF]

Nafcha, O., Shamay-Tsoory, S., & Gabay, S. (2020). The sociality of social inhibition of return. Cognition, 195. [PDF]

Saban, W., Weinbach, N., & Gabay, S. (2019). Monocular channels have a functional role in phasic alertness and temporal expectancy. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 81(3), 752-763. [PDF]

Gabay, Y., Gabay, S., Schiff, R., & Henik, A. (2019). Visual and Auditory Interference Control of Attention in Developmental Dyslexia. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 1-11. [PDF]

Banner, A., Gabay, S., & Shamay-Tsoory, S. (2019). Androstadienone, a putative chemosignal of dominance, increases gaze avoidance among men with high social anxiety. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 102, 9-15. [PDF]

Saban, W. Sekely, L., Klein, R. M., & Gabay, S. (2018). Monocular Channels have a Functional Role in Endogenous Orienting. Neuropsychologia. 111, 1-7. [PDF]

Saban, W., Klein, R. M., & Gabay, S. (2018). Probabilistic versus “Pure” Volitional Orienting – a Monocular Difference. Attention Perception & Psychophysics, 80(3), 669-676. [PDF]

Saban, W., Gabay, S., & Kalanthroff E. (2018). More than just channeling: The role of subcortical mechanisms in executive functions–Evidence from the Stroop task. Acta Physiologica, 189, 36-42. [PDF]

Okon-Singer, H., Henik, A., & Gabay, S. (2018). Increased inhibition following negative cues: A possible role for enhanced processing. Cortex. [PDF]

Saban, W., Sekely, L., Klein, R. M., & Gabay, S. (2017). Endogenous orienting in the archer fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114 (29), 7577-7581. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Kalanthroff, E., Henik, A., & Gronau, N. (2016). Conceptual Size Representation in Ventral Visual Cortex. Neuropsychologia, 81, 198-206.

Lichtenstein-Vidne, L., Gabay, S., Cohen, N., & Henik, A. (2016). Lateralization of Emotions: Evidence from Pupil Size Measurement. Cognition and Emotion.

Gabay, Y., Gabay, S., Henik, A., & Behrmann, M. (2015). Word and Line Bisection in Typical and Impaired Readers and a Cross-language Comparison. Brain and Language, 150, 143-152.

Weinbach, N., Shofty, I., Gabay, S., & Henik, A. (2015). Endogenous temporal and spatial orienting: Evidence for two distinct attentional mechanisms. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 22, 967-973. [PDF]

Gabay,S., & Behrmann, M. (2014). Attentional dynamics mediated by subcortical mechanisms.Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 76, 2375-2388. [PDF]

Gabay,S., Burlingham, C., & Behrmann, M. (2014). The nature of face representations in subcortical regions.Neuropsychologia, 59, 35-46. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Nestor, A., Dundas, E., & Behrmann, M., (2014). Monocular advantage for face perception implicates subcortical mechanisms in adult humans.Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 26, 927-937. [PDF]

Gabay, Y., Gabay, S., Schiff, R., Ashkenazi, S., & Henik A. (2013). Visuospatial attention deficits in developmental dyslexia: Evidence from visual and mental number line bisection tasks. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 28, 829-836. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Pertzov, Y., Cohen, N., Avidan, G., & Henik, A. (2013). Remapping environment without corollary discharges: Evidence from scene based IOR.Journal of Vision, 13(8):22, 1-10. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Leibovich, T., Henik, A., & Gronau, N. (2013). Size before numbers: conceptual size primes numerical value.Cognition, 129, 18-23. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Labovich, T., Ben Simon, A., Henik, A., & Segev, R. (2013). Inhibition of return in the archer fish.Nature Communications, 4, 1657. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Avni, D., & Henik, A. (2012). Reflexive orienting by central arrows: Evidence from the inattentional blindness task.Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 19, 625-630. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Chica, A. B., Charras, P., Funes, M. J., & Henik, A. (2012). Cue and target processing modulate the onset of Inhibition of Return.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance,38, 42-52. [PDF]

Salo, R., Gabay, S., Fassbender, C., & Henik, A. (2012). Distributed attentional deficits in chronic methamphetamine abusers: Evidence from the attentional network task (ANT).Brain and Cognition, 77, 446-452. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Pertzov, Y., & Henik, A. (2011). Orienting of attention, pupil size and the norepinephrine system.Attention Perception & Psychophysics, 73, 123-129. [PDF]

Gabay, S., & Henik, A. (2010). Temporal expectancy modulates inhibition of return in a discrimination task.Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 17, 47-51. [PDF]

Gabay, S., Henik, A., & Gradstein, L. (2010). Ocular motor ability and covert attention in patients with Duane Retraction Syndrome.Neuropsychologia, 48, 3102-3109. [PDF]

Ouellet, M., Santiago, J., Israeli, Z., & Gabay, S. (2010). Is the future the right time? Experimental Psychology,57, 308-314. [PDF]

Van Koningsbruggen, M., Gabay, S., Sapir, A., Henik, A., & Rafal, R. (2010). Hemispheric asymmetry in the remapping and maintenance of visual saliency maps: A TMS study.Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22, 1730-1738. [PDF]

Gabay, S., & Henik, A. (2008). The effect of expectancy on inhibition of return. Cognition, 106, 1478-1486. [PDF]

Kofman, O., Shavit Y., Ashkenazi, S., & Gabay, S. (2007). Habituation, discrimination and anxiety in transgenic mice overexpressing acetylcholinesterase. Brain Research, 1185, 170-178. [PDF]

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