Computer-Based Demonstrations in Cognitive Psychology: Benefits and Costs

This study examined the costs and benefits of using demonstrations in an upper level psychology course. For 6 topics, half of the class read a chapter that explained the concept and theoretical explanations for the described effects, and the other half participated in a demonstration in addition to the reading. Students overwhelmingly reported higher enjoyment of their learning experience when they participated in the demonstrations. However, measures of learning based on essays, quizzes, and exam questions showed that students did not always benefit from participating in the demonstrations. In fact, for 2 of the 3 measures, results indicated that participating in the demonstrations significantly worsened performance.