This study is part of a research trend which contends that one cannot account for the way subjects function in problem-solving situations without considering the content and structure of the knowledge they have stored in long-term memory. In other words, there may be a link between cognitive operations and the knowledge upon which those operations are performed. This being said, our goal is to show that from the behaviors observed, we can infer more general problem-solving processes. The types of solutions to physics problems (electricity) produced by adolescents aged 12-13 were noted in several types of problem situations: one likely to activate student misconceptions, a practical problem, a standard school-like exercise, and a questionnaire. The results showed that it was possible to go beyond the specific behaviors and infer the underlying general processes from the types of solutions observed, provided the subjects had a sufficient level of knowledge. In conclusion, the concept of problem-solving style is proposed to account for the general processes underlying the specific behaviors. The concept of problem-solving style is defined in terms of its differences from and similarities to solution types - which are situation-specific - and cognitive styles - which are more general modes of thought. Individual preferences as to how information is represented and processed, associated with domain-specific knowledge and problem constraints, determine each subject's solving style.
