Psychological research has identified a number of cognitive processes and language abilities that are involved in the development of reading skills. This paper examines the ways in which research findings relate to current curriculum practices in such areas as learning letters and sounds; developing auditory perception skills; word recognition; learning the meaning of words; and reading and understanding sentences. The author then shows how information-processing theories of learning have been used in analyses of reading-comprehension instruction in beginning reading programs. The conclusion of the paper notes that much current theory and research has limited utility for informing instructional practice in reading and that the kind of psychological research that will inform instructional practice is research that is focused on instructional questions. While some current research findings can be related to curriculum design in a fairly definite way, a true measure of the relationship between psychological theory and instructional practice must depend on advances in theory and research, as well as on better documentation of current curriculum practices. (GW)