This paper discusses several considerations and techniques in doing research which attempts to measure the effects of visual images on viewers. For example, to describe precisely the effects of some element of a visual image or series of images, researchers must be able to specify the institutional context in which the image is presented and describe the contents of the visual image in unambiguous fashion. If they fail to do those things, they will not know if the response is really to the environment instead of the image or know which element to credit with impact on the viewer. They may have to take into account other sources of variance as well. A research design which successfully reduces restraints on audience response can also include magnitude estimation scaling, Cloze procedure, or scales which indicate emotional response. Researchers might also use tachistoscopes--instruments with shutters that allow the researcher to control how long a viewer is exposed to an image--or even eye-tracking equipment and electrodermal recording. (Contains 17 references.) (BEW)