A series of pilot experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of stress induced by load and interference on the acquisition and retention of a path finding skill, and to investigate the relationship between two path finding strategies--retention of strings of instructions and understanding of global relationships--as components of memory. Results of the experiments indicated that the acquisition of a path finding skill by either strategy is slightly impaired by interference; that generalizing ability is almost completely blocked by interference; and that retention of the skill is impaired by interference, thus suggesting that retention depends on generalization. (SH)