A picture can be interpreted in different ways by various persons. There is often a difference between a picture's denotation (literal meaning), connotation (associative meaning), and private associations. Two studies were conducted in order to observe the private associations that pictures awaken in people. One study deals with associations made from slides; the other with interpreting pictures in advertisements. In the first study, 25 university students were shown slides, then asked to write the associations called to mind by the image content in each slide. Chains of association reflecting the subjects' trains of thought are discussed and examples provided. The conclusion was drawn that teachers who use slides in their verbal presentations must realize that pictures can generate a variety of associations in audiences. Thus, it may be concluded that pictures used in information and instructional material, always should have captions to guide the understanding of the content. In the second study, six advertisements were chosen at random from an airline magazine. Trademarks were hidden, and the advertisements were shown to 50 students, who were asked to write down what company they thought the advertisement represented; type of product; company or trademark they believed the advertisement was meant to promote; and whether they had seen the picture before. Results showed that only a few students had either seen some of the pictures before, or could associate the right picture with the right company. It was concluded that pictures seldom give rise to associations that are directly linked to the advertised product, service, company, or trademark, and the associations elicited can best be described as "disparate." Two tables summarize the data. (Contains nine references.) (MAS)