The effects of the availability of behaviorally stated objectives on the learning process were studied. It was hypothesized that objectives would serve as orienting stimuli which would help students to attend to, process, and organize relevant aspects of displayed information in accordance with stated objectives. Therefore, the presentation of objectives was expected to reduce the number of examples and the amount of time required to learn the task, to facilitate performance on transfer retrieval criterion measures, and to reduce the requirements for memory and reasoning abilities. The learning task consisted of a hierarchical imaginary science called the science of Xenograde systems (see EM 009 053). It was presented by an IBM 1500/1800 computer-assisted instruction system to 130 introductory educational psychology and science education students. Subjects were randomly assigned to an example-only group, an objective-example group, a rule-example group, or an objective-rule-example group. A significant rule effect was found in that the rule groups needed less time and fewer examples than the no-rule groups. Objectives significantly reduced the number of examples required to learn the task, but did not reduce total latency. Objectives and/or rules also effected a reduction in the requirement for reasoning ability. (Author/JY)