Situation Characteristics Are Age Graded

Abstract

The current work examines mean-level patterns of major dimensions of situation characteristics—the Situational Eight DIAMONDS—across the life span. Using population-representative data from the 2013 and 2014 American Time Use Survey (Study 1) and the 2012 German Socioeconomic Panel (Study 2), we tested hypotheses generated from research on situation cues and personality development. Results demonstrated that the DIAMONDS characteristics were age graded: Individuals tended to be in different kinds of situations as a function of their age. Furthermore, there was evidence that some patterns were country specific, whereas others replicated across the United States and Germany. Overall, these studies suggest that—much like personality traits—situation characteristics have predictable mean-level patterns over the life span.