An experimental study on the observation of facts in explanation reconstruction

Explanation reconstruction performs a crucial role not only in the progress of science but also in educational practices and daily activities, including the comprehension of phenomena. In this study, we conducted experiments to examine the factors that facilitate shifts in explanations. We focused on the transition of attention on a key fact that contradicts an initial explanation and has a central role in its reconstruction. We used a short story as an experimental material in which participants first constructed an initial explanation and then reconstructed it. In the experiment, we controlled the time of presentation of the key fact (bottom-up condition), reflective thinking (topdown condition), and the two together (bidirectional condition) to facilitate understanding of the explanatory shift. The experimental results are summarized as follows. First, when the prior explanation was rejected, attention to the key fact was inhibited although a new explanation was required. Second, the successful group increased their attention on the key fact just before the explanatory shift. Third, protection of the preceding explanation with unobserved facts was inhibited by guiding the participants ’attention toward the key fact. Finally, although the initial explanation was not completely shifted, a explanatory pre-shift was achieved by activating reflective thinking with attention to the key fact.