The study developed from the hypothesis, based on the work of McLuhan, that computers extend our cognitive abilities. It investigated the research questions; How is thought amplified or extended through the use of computers? How do computers affect the way we think and learn? How has our method or process of cognition changed through the use of various media; and how has our thought process been structured through the use of symbol systems such as writing, drawing, or speech?;How we solve problems and create is tied to how we think. Examining the process of problem solving sheds light on cognition; whether the process involves use of the computer or symbol systems such as drawing, writing, or mathematics. Changing the process of generation, of creation, changes the process of how we think. As cognition is different, so too will be learning.;The results of a two-month research study of university graphic design students are presented; six data gathering methods were used. The strongest support for the original hypotheses, that computers and alternative symbol systems advance and assist cognition, are evident in the interviews and journals maintained by the participants. Portions of the study, specifically the surveys and the image analysis provide secondary support of the hypothesis.;Interpretations of the data are presented dealing with the inter-connectedness of visual and verbal symbols (i.e. words and pictures), and with the nature of intelligence and media. Woven through these is the phenomena of efficiency, how the participants communicate and solve problems through the use of various symbols.;The dissertation concludes with a series of directions for further research examining the border between image and word, examining the nature of computer use, and continuing to attempt to understand the nature of intelligence and media.
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