From an instructional perspective, it is conceivable that employing an appropriate hypertext architecture should have the advantage of facilitating learning by representing logically the interrelationships between different units of information contained within the hypertext. Furthermore, there would, however, appear to be a sound theoretical rationale for suggesting that the degree to which hypertext based instructional systems facilitate learning will be contingent on an individual's cognitive style. This study investigates the effects of hypertext architecture and cognitive style on learning. Fifty-three participants were assigned to one of three hypertext architectures corresponding to linear, hierarchical and relational structures. Cognitive style was assessed using the Cognitive Styles Index (Allinson and Hayes, 1991). The findings revealed an interaction between cognitive style and hypertext architecture on the recall performance of participants. However, when learning was assessed at a deeper level, no significant effects were observed. Further analysis revealed that concept maps of the hypertext architecture differed between participants in each hypertext condition. The results are discussed in terms of a consideration of individual differences in cognitive style in the design of hypertext instructional systems. (Contains 15 references.) (Author)