The implicit-explicit distinction is applied to knowledge
representations. Knowledge is taken to be an attitude towards a
proposition which is true. The proposition itself predicates a property
to some entity. A number of ways in which knowledge can be implicit or
explicit emerge. If a higher aspect is known explicitly then each lower
one must also be known explicitly. This partial hierarchy reduces the
number of ways in which knowledge can be explicit. In the most important
type of implicit knowledge, representations merely reflect the property
of objects or events without predicating them of any particular entity.
The clearest cases of explicit knowledge of a fact are representations
of one's own attitude of knowing that fact. These distinctions are
discussed in their relationship to similar distinctions such as
procedural-declarative, conscious-unconscious, verbalizable-nonverbalizable,
direct-indirect tests, and automatic-voluntary control. This is followed
by an outline of how these distinctions can be used to integrate and relate
the often divergent uses of the implicit-explicit distinction in different
research areas. We illustrate this for visual perception, memory, cognitive
development, and artificial grammar learning.
Explicit Knowledge in Artificial Grammar Learning