This study of the patterns of communication in the field of instructional technology examined the reference lists provided with each article or review in three journals for a period of five years to determine: (1) who the most cited authors in the field are; (2) whether invisible colleges exist in the field; and (3) if invisible colleges do exist, who the participants are in each invisible college. The journals studied were the Journal of Instructional Development (JID, Spring 1985-Fall 1990); Educational Communication and Technology Journal (ECTJ, Spring 1985-Summer 1990); and Performance Improvement Quarterly (PIQ, Spring 1988-Fall 1990). The name of each author, co-author, or editor of works cited was entered in a database together with the name of the journal, date of citation, and volume and issue numbers of the journal. The number of citations per author was recorded, and individuals were included in the study if they had been cited a minimum of five times. From the 12,220 citations entered in the database for all three journals, 386 individuals were selected. The highest numbers of citations reported were 83 (R. M.Gagne), 76 (R. D. Tennyson), and 43 (R. Kaufman). The results of a hierarchical cluster analysis among frequently cited individuals identified 53 homogeneous groups. For many of the groups dominant individuals could also be identified. The results of the study support the conclusion that there are "many" invisible colleges in the field, and that the groups of frequently cited individuals do significantly influence the development of the field and the practice of industrial design. (7 tables, 13 references) (BBM)