Discusses the problems involved in matching differences between learners and differences between different types of media to improve the learning process. Thirty-eight references are cited. (CHC)

The failure of research on media to deal with media's symbol systems is discussed. Nature of symbol systems is described and related to cognition and learning. Symbolic elements used by media can facilitate the cultivation of mental skills in interaction with individual differences and depth of processing. (Author/RD)

An experiment investigated the effects of representational modes, presentation methods, and age on learning. Representation was in either iconic or symbolic verbal style, the verbal component was presented by either tape or booklet, and the pictorial component contrasted filmloops. Nine and eleven year old learners were exposed to a lesson on the…