Final answer:
The main benefit of the experimental method is the ability to control variables, which enables researchers to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main advantage associated with the experimental method is control over variables. This method allows researchers to manipulate one independent variable and then measure the effect on the dependent variable while keeping other potential confounding variables constant. The ability to control variables is crucial because it allows for the comparison between groups that are different in only one independent variable. This control lends the experimental method its power to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between variables.
Experiments often occur in a controlled environment, allowing developmental psychologists, for example, to make causal statements about variables that affect developmental processes. Although one must be cautious in interpreting behaviors observed in a lab as they may not always translate perfectly to natural environments, the control factor enables researchers to establish a direct relationship between variables and observe outcomes that might not be possible in less controlled research designs, like naturalistic observation or case studies.