Family terms should be read from the official programme materials as they currently stand. Do not assume derivative rules borrowed from other categories apply.
Do not import family rules from elsewhere
Other routes have well-settled family provisions, and it is tempting to reason by analogy: a spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one as derivatives, work authorization in some categories and not others, study permitted for dependants. Those rules belong to the categories that contain them. For this framework the correct source is the official programme page and FAQ, read at the time the decision is made. Where those materials address family members, follow them; where they are silent, treat the position as unconfirmed and seek advice rather than assuming. Because a household decision usually involves schooling, employment and timing for several people, it is worth writing down which of those points are actually answered by official material and which are not.
Hypothetical example: a music-school owner is told that one Gold Card payment automatically covers her spouse, adult daughter and business partner. Verify each claimed family consequence from current official material rather than importing dependent rules from another immigration category. The first review should produce a relationship-and-age list, passport information, and a record of what the programme actually states. Decide whether each person needs an independent payment, application or another route; silence is not approval. The central payment remains the applicant's payment to the U.S. government, not a pooled business expense, so household planning should not obscure whose status or eligibility is being considered.