Engagement-centered demonstrations in large enrollment introductory psychology classes: effects on understanding, retention, and student engagement

Background: Large enrollment introductory psychology courses often struggle with low student engagement, which can hinder learning outcomes. Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of structured, interactive demonstrations on student engagement, short-term understanding, and long-term retention of key concepts in a large introductory course. Method: Ten demonstrations were developed and delivered quasi-experimentally across two course sections (n = 276). Student understanding was assessed via in-class polling, and retention was measured using the same questions on the final exam. Engagement was evaluated using the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM. Results: Demonstrations significantly increased student engagement; however, linear mixed-effects models revealed no statistically significant overall effect on understanding or retention. A sub-analysis found that demonstrations improved retention for a difficult topic (Functional Fixedness) but not for an easier one (Mental Set) where baseline performance from the lecture alone was already high. Conclusion: Structured demonstrations increase engagement but have limited effects on test scores. Their learning effectiveness may depend on concept difficulty. Teaching Implications: Psychology instructors should consider incorporating interactive demonstrations into their teaching to foster engagement. Further research is warranted to better understand factors that can improve associated learning outcomes, including content complexity and demonstration style.