The study focused on the effect of pictures as instructional resources on the cognitive performance of upper basic social studies students in Delta State, Nigeria. It aimed to assess academic performance using measures such as grades, test scores, and comprehension levels specifically related to social studies as a subject. Applying a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test research design, the population consisted of 23,785 upper basic 3 students in Delta State Nigeria. A sample size of 110 students was chosen as the sample through a stratified sampling technique, across three different upper basic schools in the state. A carefully constructed test, compiled from past questions on the topics "Human trafficking, kidnapping and culture) from the Basic Certificate Examination (BCE) was the instrument used to collect data in this study. The instrument was duly validated by two specialists of social studies education, whose suggestions and contributions were used to produce a final copy of the instrument. The instrument was administered twice to the students, first as a pre-test and secondly as a post-test after the treatment package "pictures" have been applied in the study. After the treatment, data collected from both tests were then compiled and analyzed with bar chats and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) adhering to a significance level of 0.05. Findings from the research question and hypothesis testing indicates that there is significant interaction effect of using pictures to enhance the cognitive engagement of upper basic social studies students. Thus it recommended its usage for social studies.