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Neuropsychology, the study of the interaction of the brain and behavior, and behavioral genetics, the study of the interaction of genes and behavior, are on the cutting edge of research in the field of child development. Using new technology, researchers are able to study the structure and functioning of our brains as they never have before, and whole genome sequencing can be used to identify specific genes and understand their effects. Using these new capabilities scientists have produced an avalanche of new research that connects the brain and specific genes with different aspects of children’s development.

Neuropsychology: The study of the interaction of the brain and behavior.

Behavioral genetics: Research to determine the degree of genetic basis for a behavior, trait, or ability.

As we’ve discussed, biology has an impact on behavior, but the environment also affects our biological functioning. The brain’s development, including development of connections between nerve cells, the coating of the nervous system, and the neurochemistry of the brain, is shaped in part by what a person does. For example, when you intensely study a foreign language, gray matter increases in particular parts of the brain (Li, Legault, & Litcofsky, 2014). Likewise, environmental events also affect the expression of genes. For example, research has shown that when children experience child abuse, the expression of certain genes can be changed in ways that may account for the higher reactivity of these individuals to stress later in their lives (Essex et al., 2013; Lester et al., 2011). You will learn much more about the role of genes in child development in Chapter 3, and about the brain and how it develops in the chapters on physical development at each stage of development.