Online demonstration experiments as experiential learning

Abstract

Demonstration experiments are commonly used as a teaching tool in courses in experimental linguistics, cognitive psychology and cognitive science. This paper presents an inquiry into the impact of participating in demonstration experiments on student learning. This inquiry frames demonstration experiments as a form of experiential learning. As such, the experiment exercises were designed following the Co-Constructed Developmental Teaching Theory (Shenk & Cruikshank 2015), a model of experiential teaching inspired by the cognitive neuroscience of learning. One demonstration experiment exercise on the concept of categorical perception is presented in the context of an introductory-level course in cognitive science.