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

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

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the key concept in developmental psychology regarding friendships and aging, which focuses on how the quantity and quality of friendships change over time.
2. Recall research findings that suggest as people age, the number of friendships tends to decrease, but the emotional closeness or depth of these friendships tends to increase.
3. Recognize that this pattern reflects a shift in social priorities, where older adults prefer fewer but more meaningful relationships, rather than many superficial ones.
4. Compare the given options with this understanding: friendships do not typically become less important or get replaced by work relationships, nor do they remain the same or increase significantly in number with superficial quality.
5. Conclude that the best description is that friendships become fewer in number but deeper in emotional closeness as people age.