This paper is a progress report of the first phase of a project which essentially seeks to replicate previous studies using the successful/unsuccessful design in an attempt to: (1) corroborate the surface/deep structure conclusion which has become an essential component of an understanding of problem-solving; (2) examine more closely the nature of the categorization procedure and how it is applied; (3) reexamine the similarity of keywords identified by subjects; and (4) extend the research into another content area, enhancing the generalizability of the conclusions. Included are results of a pilot study of how geneticists and biologists categorize genetics problems. Findings (based on five faculty responses) show that: biology faculty members apparently have a detailed mental organizational structure for genetics problems; genetics problems are apparently mentally organized by these individuals in a hierarchical system; the self-report of at least one subject suggests that this organization plays a signficant role in problem-solving; genetics principles used by faculty subjects to organize genetics problems appear to be very similar in most cases; the organizations produced were based on "deep structure"; and the keywords identified by subjects are closely tied to the organization scheme being used. (JN)