Given the role science and technology play in economic and social development in today's world, scientific and technological literacy must be given priority as an essential component of basic education. The significance of the visual component of literacy has increased with advances in technology and picture and image usage. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) "Project 2000+" and the United States' Project 2061 are examples of the way scientific and technological literacy objectives can be pursued. No sufficient thought has been dedicated, however, by science teachers to the procedure of image and symbol formation and the formation of concepts in human cognition. Examples of effective use of symbols can be found in the petroglyphs and drawings of the American Indian culture. Understanding the visual basis of human thought can bring about a more intelligent equilibrium between the written word and the visual-acoustic components in acquiring literacy. Scientific Visualization, a new movement synthesized from the parent fields of computer graphics, simulation, image analysis and applied art using the power of computers, multimedia, and hypermedia techniques to transform information into visual symbols, is recommended as a worthwhile teaching innovation to address the issue of imagery and concept formation. (Contains 19 references.) (MAS)