ABSTRACT
Linda Flower has published extensively on the composing process, and remains one of the most frequently cited authors in the field of composition and rhetoric. Her initial research focused on monitoring the cognitive processes of writers as they composed. Working with cognitive psychologist John R. Hayes, a colleague at Carnegie-Mellon University, Flower taped sessions during which writers thought aloud as they composed. Analysis of these sessions revealed information about the behavior of writers that was previously difficult to observe and collect. Because of her work, protocol analysis became an important research tool for the study of the composing process, leading to improved instruction by providing writing teachers a more complete understanding of cognitive processes in the production of text.
