This report discusses research and theory that explore relationships between comprehension and knowledge acquisition. Studies are reported that indicate the lack of a one-to-one correspondence between initial comprehension activities and abilities to remember. It is noted that the value of comprehensive activities depends on how people must later use the information. The concept of "transfer appropriate processing" is suggested as an alternative to the more one-sided concept of "depth of processing" that characterizes much current research. Subsequent discussion focuses more directly on problems of knowledge acquisition. Learning is distinguished from the storage and retrieval of memories, and the problem of coming to think "in terms of" information or "know with" information is discussed. A framework is proposed that focuses on processes of growth and transfer (processes by which one comes to understand things he or she could not previously understand). Empirical results are presented and potential educational implications are discussed. (Author/FL)