In a study that investigated differences in the processing styles of beginning readers, a Pictograph Sentence Memory Test (PSMT) was administered to first and second grade students to determine their processing style as well as to assess instructional effects. Based on their responses to the PSMT, the children were classified as either visual or auditory processors and were placed into one of three groups. Those in the imagery group were shown cartoon slides of pictograph sequences and told to imagine similar cartoons for subsequent sequences to help them remember the pictures better. Those in the sentence strategy group were told to read the pictographs like a sentence in order to remember them better. The control group children were instructed only to try hard to remember the pictographs. Measures of imagery ability, reading ability, and metacognitive ability were also administered. The findings suggest that there are substantial differences in processing styles that relate to learning. (FL)