Understanding Conceptual Development Along the Implicit-Explicit Dimension: Looking Through the Lens of the Representational Redescription Model

This study examined conceptual changes in children in the dimension of explicitness through the lens of the representational redescription model (A. Karmiloff-Smith, 1986, 1992). The 4- to 9-year-old participants (N = 24) had to balance blocks on a narrow support in one task and predict whether the blocks could be balanced in another task. In addition to the application of a microgenetic approach, various new methods were introduced to capture fine-grained changes in explicitness. Explicit understanding and behavioral performance were assessed separately with different measures. By using an adapted prediction task in a new way, evidence supporting the existence of an intermediate level of explicitness (Level E1) was found. The results also supported the existence of implicit-to-explicit development. The findings imply that the development of conceptual explicitness deserves further investigation.