This paper is the introduction to an inquiry into the relationship of post-structural reader theories to cognitive theories in the study of educational media. Basic concepts in reader and cognitive theories are defined, including the notions of "meaning" and "learners." Similarities and differences in the theories are described. It is suggested that a cognitive paradigm applies psychoanalytic theories to explain learning and brain functions where the brain is considered as a unit, while structural and post-structural theories focus on the viewer as a member of a social group both historically and at a moment in time. Assumptions underlying both of these theories are examined, and implications for handling social and psychological research issues in educational technology are considered. It is suggested that structuralism, which focuses on human acts or behaviors that involve cultural construction in the same way that speech acts involve sentences, provides a framework for organizing and orienting any study concerned with the production and perception of meaning. Thirteen references are listed. (LMM)