Writing for Whom? Cognition, Motivation, and a Writer's Audience

When writers write, how do they decide to whom they are speaking? How does this decision affect writers' cognition about writing? Their motivation to write? In this article, I review literature on cognitive and social processes of writing, conceptualizations of audience, writing across distinct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational psychologist 2010-07, Vol.45 (3), p.167-184
Main Author: MAGNIFICO, ALECIA MARIE
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Audience Analysis
Audience Awareness
Audiences
Authors
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive Processes
Communication (Thought Transfer)
Decision making
Educational Environment
Electronic Publishing
Information processing
Mass Media Role
Motivation
Perceptions
Perspective Taking
Schemata (Cognition)
Social Cognition
Social Environment
Sociocultural Patterns
Writers
Writing (Composition)
Writing Instruction
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Summary:When writers write, how do they decide to whom they are speaking? How does this decision affect writers' cognition about writing? Their motivation to write? In this article, I review literature on cognitive and social processes of writing, conceptualizations of audience, writing across distinct learning environments, and writers' motivations. I then show how understandings of audience can be linked to those of motivation and interest-and how this combination may bridge a traditional divide between research traditions. Finally, I examine the implications of bringing these areas of literature together; the necessity of re-examining the role of audience in light of new media-infused learning environments; and the opening of possible areas for future research in writing, audience, and motivation.
ISSN:0046-1520
1532-6985
DOI:10.1080/00461520.2010.493470