Final answer:
A recent meta-analysis of personality stability and change within the Big Five framework found that openness to experience increased in adolescence and early adulthood. Personality traits exhibit modest changes throughout life, with certain traits like conscientiousness generally increasing into middle age, and openness peaking earlier.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Big Five personality traits represent a spectrum with each personality aspect ranging from one extreme to the other, and most individuals fall somewhere in between these extremes. The Big Five includes traits such as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. These traits are generally stable throughout life, yet they can experience slight increases or decreases during different age periods. For example, conscientiousness is found to increase from young adulthood into middle age, while agreeableness is seen to peak between the ages of 50 and 70.
When providing an answer to the meta-analysis question according to the Big Five framework, it's crucial to reference the stability and change of these personality traits across the lifespan. Several studies, including those by Terracciano et al. (2005) and McCrae and Costa (2008), have shown that while each trait may have variations based on individual development or cultural influences, there is a general pattern observed.
Specifically so, the correct answer to the student's question would be:
C. openness to experience increased in adolescence and early adulthood.