Relationships between media format, sensory channel, and cognitive information processing are not straightforward. Media format does not determine information processing and storage except when a deliberate attempt is made to model cognitive processes by manipulating the medium. Sensory channel only affects processing and learning for relatively low-level tasks, because information presented in various media formats and sensory channels is mediated by the learner's mental skills and the learning strategies used. A model can geographically show relationships among cognitive processes, mental skills, and learning strategies. Expansion of this model to include processing control through modeling and instruction in skills and strategies must include research in instruction. For learners lacking skills and ability to select the best strategy, instruction should control learning strategies by modeling the cognitive process needed for the task. Instructional systems can also assign particular strategies for learners with some skill but without the necessary metacognitive processes required for wise strategy deployment. For high ability learners, capable of assigning the appropriate strategy independently, specific directions are unnecessary. A review of research supports this viewpoint. (LMM)