The focus of research on cognitive processes has shifted toward an examination of the relationship between memory and interindividual differences of personality. A review of the research on two such personality traits (i.e., locus of control and field dependence-independence) shows that studies of locus of control as a factor in learning and memory have been concerned with verbal conditioning, awareness, demand characteristics, and levels of anxiety. Generally, internals when compared to externals were more prone to be aware of informational strategies for successful completion of tasks, less susceptible to experimenter influence, and more superior on retention/recognition in non-stressful situations. On the other hand, in threatening or high anxiety provoking situations, internals appeared to utilize repressor mechanisms and thus showed a decrement in information retention/recognition when compared to externals. In studies on field dependence (FD) and field independence (FI), it was found that FI individuals tended to engage in a hypothesis-testing, participant role in learning. They seemed to function on intrinsic motivation and were perceptive of the nonsalient cues in acquiring information relevant to the task. On the other hand, FD individuals tended to ignore nonsalient cues in the field and seemed to be motivated by extrinsic rewards. They were susceptible to social influence and tended to comply and conform to experimenter demands. Also, in stressful and/or threatening circumstances, FD individuals appeared to utilize repression and thus exhibited inferior or distorted recall. (The final portion of this review proposes research strategies and research topics for both locus of control and field dependence-independence studies as they relate to learning and memory.) (BL)