In chapter two, Norman discusses two types of cognition, experiential and reflective. In experiential cognition "...patterns of information are perceived and assimilated and the appropriate responses generated without apparent effort or delay. Experiential thought is essential to skilled behavior. It appears to flow naturally, but years of experience and training may be required to make it possible." (p. 23) Reflective cognition "...requires the ability to store temporary results, to make inferences from stored knowledge, and to follow chains of reasoning backward and forward, sometimes backtracking when a promising line of thought proves to be unfruitful." (p. 25) Both types of cognition are of equal value in the learning process.

Norman describes three kinds of learning, accretion, the accumulation of facts, tuning, the hours of practice between a novice learner and an expert, and restructing, the acquiring of new conceptual skills. Accretion and tuning are mainly experiential in mode. Restructuring is a reflective mode. An optimal flow, "...a continual flow of focused concentration...," (p.31) develops out of experiential cognition. Motivated activity results in Optimal flows. Optimal flows tend to come in recreational activities rather than educational situations. "The activities for recreation and education are essentially identical." A similar environment of total involvement could be produced in education with the use of multimedia instruction. To succeed, multimedia materials need improvement. Experiential tools and reflective tools must not be inappropriately used in learning situations. Today's greatest danger is relying on experiential tools and not developing reflective tools.

Norman's division of cognition into two major overlapping concepts would seem useful in designing learning modules. Today's technology tends to rely on either one or the other cognition pattern. Designing the correct cognition tools to fit a cognition pattern would improve the learning environment. Norman's vision to develop a multimedia, total immersion academic environment is vague. He gives little information on how to create such an environment.