Final answer:
An experimental study is more appropriate for investigating the effectiveness of meditation in lowering blood pressure because it allows for a controlled intervention, enabling researchers to establish a cause-and-effect relationship.
Step-by-step explanation:
To investigate whether meditation is effective in lowering blood pressure, an experimental study is generally more appropriate compared to an observational study. In this context, an experiment involves randomly assigning participants to a meditation group or a control group and then comparing the outcomes, such as changes in blood pressure levels. This method allows researchers to establish a cause-and-effect relationship by controlling for other variables that might influence blood pressure.
Conversely, in an observational study, researchers would merely observe the blood pressure of participants who already meditate without manipulating the situation. While useful for generating hypotheses, such studies are less effective for establishing causal relationships because they cannot control for all confounding variables.
Experiments are better suited for this investigation because they can isolate the effect of the meditative practice on blood pressure by actively intervening and controlling the environment of the subjects. This is important because controlling the environment helps to rule out other factors that might affect blood pressure, allowing for a more accurate test of the hypothesis that meditation can lower blood pressure.