Question

An advantage of an experiment is that:

a. it shows whether two or more variables are related.
b. it is often useful in the first stages of a research program.
c. it provides a large amount of information on large numbers of people.
d. firm conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn.

Answer 1

The primary advantage of an experiment is the ability to draw firm conclusions about cause and effect due to the controlled manipulation of the independent variable and the significant control over extraneous variables.

Step-by-step explanation:

An advantage of an experiment is that it shows whether two or more variables are related. However, the strongest point of an experiment, particularly in scientific research, is that firm conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn. This occurs because the experiment involves significant control over extraneous variables and the manipulation of the independent variable. For example, if an experiment shows that plants given a certain fertilizer grow taller than those without, the conclusion can be drawn that the fertilizer causes increased plant growth, assuming all other conditions are equal and controlled. Moreover, the experimental controls allow for comparison between groups that differ in only one independent variable, providing strong evidence for causality.