This paper reviews research on pictorial stimulus complexity in instructional materials, examining still iconic visuals in particular. Five phases are proposed to assist in the integration of this research for generating useful hypotheses: (1) establishment of methodological and conceptual criteria; (2) collection of relevant literature; (3) identification and classification of variables; (4) analysis of data; and (5) identification of hypotheses and needed research. Limitations, delimitations, and assumptions for this integration are briefly discussed. A 90-item list of references is attached. (CMV)