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Assumptions underlying Interactive Specialization
According to Johnson, the Interactive Specialization (IS) framework requires several assumptions about brain development to be met. These assumptions are:


 * Circular Causality: Since this framework of development assumes that brain regions develop in association, a circular model of development in which regions constantly interact is required. Instead of a linear causal relationship between brain regions, a dynamic and bi-directional causal relationship between interacting brain regions must exist. When regions A and B interact during development, it follows that A influences the structure of B and vice versa.
 * Interactivity and Brain Networks: The specialization of brain regions is influenced by the interactions of these regions with neighboring regions as well as large-scale networks. Brain regions function as components of functional units that give rise to behaviour. These units may be composed of neighboring regions, or networks that span a wide area of the brain. IS assumes that brain regions do not develop in isolation but rather in association to serve specific functions.
 * Self-organizing and Activity-dependent Process: A critical assumption that underlies IS is that the genetic composition of brain regions does not dictate function, but rather it sets the stage for life experiences to shape developmental processes. As such, brain regions that specialize in a specific function interact during development with each other as they process these experiences. Their activity becomes fine-tuned within larger interactive networks that becomes organized in a self-dependent fashion.
 * Dynamic mapping between brain and cognition: In contrast to the traditional view of development that assumes that brain regions come online to become functional units, IS postulates that a dynamic re-mapping of these interactive brain regions occurs to support behaviour. This dynamic re-mapping may explain individual differences in the relationship between brain functioning and behaviour.