John R. Hayes

John R. Hayes is an American cognitive psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University whose research with Linda Flower established the cognitive process model of writing.

Core ideas

• Writing as cognitive process: Hayes and Flower used think-aloud protocols to map what writers actually do. Their model replaced the linear stage model (prewriting → writing → rewriting) with a recursive model in which planning, translating, and reviewing interact throughout composing [@flowerhayes1981].
• Revised cognitive model: Hayes later updated the model (1996) to incorporate working memory, motivation, and the physical and social environment as factors shaping the writing process — moving beyond a purely cognitive account.

Notable works

• “A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing” (1981, with Linda Flower)
• “A New Framework for Understanding Cognition and Affect in Writing” (1996)

Related

• Linda Flower — primary collaborator on the cognitive process model
• revision — Hayes’s research showed revision is recursive, not a final stage