Comments on Professor Gagne's Paper Entitled 'Instructional Variables and Learning Outcomes.' Center for the Study of Evaluation of Instructional Programs Occasional Report No. 17.

This paper comments on Gagne's classification scheme with respect to learning outcomes, and offers a research design appropriate for instructional research studies. It challenges certain assumptions concerning correspondence between subject matter and categories, and asserts that the logic of experimental analysis should be applied to instructional research. The paper stresses the importance of systematic analysis of test stimuli in relation to instructional stimuli, in order to distinguish between learning and retention or transfer of training. (Author)