Which of the following best describes age-graded influences in developmental psychology?

• A. Cultural or historical events that affect entire generations, such as living through a war or economic depression.
• B. Unique life events that are not shared by most people and are specific to an individual, such as winning a lottery.
• C. Biological and environmental events that are closely related to chronological age and are experienced by most people at similar ages, such as starting school or puberty.
• D. Genetic mutations that occur randomly and are not related to age or environment.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that age-graded influences refer to biological and environmental events that are closely tied to a person's chronological age.
2. Recognize that these influences are typically experienced by most individuals at similar ages, making them common developmental milestones.
3. Differentiate age-graded influences from other types such as history-graded influences (which affect entire generations) and non-normative influences (unique to individuals).
4. Identify examples of age-graded influences, such as starting school, puberty, or learning to walk, which occur at predictable ages.
5. Conclude that the best description of age-graded influences is biological and environmental events linked to age and shared by most people at similar stages of life.