The purposes of this study were to compare the cognition of students exposed to two different learning treatments and to ascertain the effect of the two treatments and the relationship of the three levels of visual-haptic aptitude to the number of trials required to reach the criterion. One treatment emphasized cognition through prerequisite principles, the other cognition through visualization. A 3 x 2 factorial design was used with 60 sixth grade students. The sample consisted of two treatment groups, each containing 30 students representing visuals, indefinites, and haptics. A learning hierarchy was developed based upon an "a priori" psychological analysis using the method proposed by Gagne, and behavioral objectives were derived for each unit of prerequisite information identified. The only variable to be manipulated was the written information. The students who received the prerequisite principles scored significantly higher on cognition and required significantly fewer units to reach the final task than did those in the visualization treatment group. (GEB)