In developmental psychology, as people age, their friendships tend to:

• A. remain the same in both number and quality throughout life
• B. increase in number and become more superficial
• C. become fewer in number but deeper in emotional closeness
• D. become less important and are often replaced by family relationships

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the context of the question, which is about how friendships change as people age according to developmental psychology.
2. Recall key developmental psychology theories and research findings related to social relationships and aging, such as socioemotional selectivity theory.
3. Recognize that as people age, they tend to prioritize emotionally meaningful relationships, leading to fewer friendships but with greater emotional depth.
4. Eliminate options that contradict this understanding: friendships do not typically increase in number or become more superficial, nor do they remain exactly the same in number and quality.
5. Conclude that the most accurate description is that friendships become fewer in number but deeper in emotional closeness as people age.