Abstract
Reconstructing explanations perform a crucial role not only in the progress of science,
but in educational practice and daily activities including comprehension of phenomena.
We focused on the transition of attention on a key fact that contradicts the preceding
explanation and has a central role in its reconstruction. We used a short story as an
experimental material in which the participants first constructed a prior explanation
and reconstructed it. The experimental results are summarized as follows. First, when
the prior explanation was rejected, a new explanation was required, after attention on
the key fact was inhibited. Second, hypothesized premises not inconsistent with the
prior explanation were sought to protect the prior explanation. Third, the explanation
reconstruction was facilitated by having the participants focus on the key fact. Last,
attention on the key fact was recovered through explanation reconstruction.
