Final answer:
Option (b). Erikson's stage of intimacy and low rates of loneliness are the pair most likely to occur together during early adulthood. Peak physical functioning and generativity, noticeable physical decline and fewer intense friendships, and the maximum division of gender roles and postparental stage appear in later phases of adulthood.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked which pair of characteristics or events is most likely to occur together during the same age period in a normative adult life. The correct answer is that Erikson's stage of intimacy and low rates of loneliness are most likely to occur together. This pairing corresponds with early adulthood, which is typically from the 20s to early 30s. During this stage, many adults form close relationships and as a result, experience lower rates of loneliness.
Early adulthood is also a period where individuals often marry and start families, completing their education and becoming established in careers. On the other hand, peak physical functioning appears in early adulthood as well, but generativity, according to Erikson, is associated with middle adulthood, thus it is not the most likely pair with peak physical functioning.
Noticeable physical decline and fewer but more intense friendships as well as a maximum division of gender roles and the postparental stage of the family life cycle are more typical of middle and late adulthood.