To this end, much of human brain research in the past three decades has focused on the brain basis of behavior. In humans, researchers can investigate the neural correlates of behavior whereas in animals they can dig deeper into the mechanisms that drive the processes that these neural correlates reflect. Researchers have made use of the homology that exists among developing nervous systems of different species, and many of the cutting-edge ideas discussed in the developmental literature have their origins in animal research-but they have been tested and clarified in neurobehavioral experiments with infants and young children. It is important to note that, although much of the research has been conducted on infants, it is a collaborative effort between infant and animal research that has uncovered the neurobiological principles that govern development in humans. Research using these measures on the developing brain has clarified several arguments about the nature of child development and informed debates such as those surrounding the state of the infant’s brain at birth (whether it is a “blank slate” or not), the identification of critical periods of development, and the relative importance of genes versus environment.
Measurement techniques such as electroencephalogram (EEG) and event related potentials (ERP) can be used to study infants, children, and adults, and this flexibility has allowed researchers to investigate a variety of developmental processes. In particular, researchers now have a better sense of how brain development affects the development of behavior. The past 30 years of research have provided a new and deeper understanding of the brain and its role in psychological functions.
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