An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of providing learners with instructional objectives prior to instruction with non objectives-based materials. The objectives of these materials were inferred by the researchers. Sixty-four university students were randomly assigned to treatment groups in which they received either no objectives, a partial list of objectives, or a complete list of objectives for an instructional film viewed together by all groups. Mean scores on an 18-item criterion test, which contained one item per objective, were significantly higher for subjects receiving objectives than for those receiving no objectives. Learners who received partial lists of objectives performed as well or slightly better on the test portion for which they received no objectives. It was thus concluded that providing objectives to students prior to presenting instructional materials not based on objectives facilitates student performance and that presentation of partial lists of objectives did not appreciably limit the students' attention to content for which they had received objectives. (Author)