Jon C. Horvitz

BRITTANY MELLO (), MARY SHODIYA, KATHLEEN M. TAYLOR (BARNARD COLLEGE), JON C. HORVITZ (BOSTON COLLEGE), PETER D. BALSAM (BARNARD COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY)

BRITTANY MELLO, MARY SHODIYA, KATHLEEN M. TAYLOR (BARNARD COLLEGE), JON C. HORVITZ (BOSTON COLLEGE), PETER D. BALSAM (BARNARD COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY)

"Wanting and liking are what some philosophers of mind have called 'folk psychological' terms about how the mind is organized," explains Jon Horvitz, PhD, a neuroscientist at Boston College.Although he doubts real brains have clearly demarked scripts for "wanting" or "liking," he says it helps to draw some rough distinctions to enable research into dopamine's behavioral pathway.
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Horvitz adds, "The functional organization of the brain may or may not correspond well to categories such as liking and wanting.I think [the Seattle researchers] mean that dopamine is a player in neural circuitry that serves to vigorously mobilize behavior toward a particular goal object, which in humans, at least, is often accompanied by what we describe as 'wanting.'

"However," he continues, "it's unlikely that a particular neurotransmitter will correspond perfectly to a specific psychological construct such as wanting--or liking for that matter."

Femke Lutgerink has invited Dutch artist Leonard Van Munster to develop an exhibition in the Second Gallery space in collaboration with artists and scientists from Boston and Amsterdam, including: Sarah Banach (artist), Aisha Graham (artist), Jon Horvitz (Boston College), Marisa Jahn (artist), Geert Jan Mulder (artist), Peter Schmitt (MIT Media Lab, artist), Eric Weber (MIT Media Lab), Tom Würdinger (MGH/Harvard Medical School).

"Wanting and liking are what some philosophers of mind have called 'folk psychological' terms about how the mind is organized," explains Jon Horvitz, PhD, a neuroscientist at Boston College.Although he doubts real brains have clearly demarked scripts for "wanting" or "liking," he says it helps to draw some rough distinctions to enable research into dopamine's behavioral pathway.
...
Horvitz adds, "The functional organization of the brain may or may not correspond well to categories such as liking and wanting.I think [the Seattle researchers] mean that dopamine is a player in neural circuitry that serves to vigorously mobilize behavior toward a particular goal object, which in humans, at least, is often accompanied by what we describe as 'wanting.'

"However," he continues, "it's unlikely that a particular neurotransmitter will correspond perfectly to a specific psychological construct such as wanting--or liking for that matter."

Jon C. HorvitzAssociate Professor, Boston College

Sarah Banach (artist), Aisha Graham (artist), Jon Horvitz (Boston College), Marisa Jahn (artist), Geert Jan Mulder (artist), Peter Schmitt (Media Lab MIT, artist), Eric Weber (Media Lab MIT), Tom Würdinger (MGH / Harvard Medical School)