The incidental learning effects of discrimination which would be required in searching for and selecting related information in a text were explored. Sixty-one students from three educational psychology classes at Fairleigh-Dickinson University participated. Subjects were randomly assigned to four experimental groups and were given reading search tasks. The present study indicates that when a reader is involved in reading for specific information, substantial learning effects may be produced by the discriminations involved in the search. A delayed retention test indicated that these learning effects may be relatively stable over time. Even stimuli which are not the targets of search can be influenced by searching if they are encountered repetitively during the search. The results suggest that when stimuli are evaluated against a criterion, the comparisons involved influence the retention of both the criterion and the stimuli which are evaluated against it. References, tables, and notes are included. (WB)