The Critical Incident Technique: 40 Years Later

Abstract

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of John Flanagan's paper entitled “The Critical Incident Technique” in Psychological Bulletin. In the years since its publication, much has happened in the field of human factors. The critical incident technique is still a common tool among human factors practitioners, though it has often been modified. With a new generation of practitioners in training, it is important to consider what they are learning about this tool. A survey conducted with future human factors professionals highlights some misconceptions concerning the critical incident technique. These misconceptions seem to originate from two sources: the treatment of the technique in human factors textbooks and handbooks, and the use of the technique in current research and application work. Some modern variations of the critical incident technique are discussed. The critical incident technique is viewed as an instance in which human factors specialists are shaping their tools to meet their needs. A set of principles is proposed to guide today's human factors practitioners in conducting cognitively oriented field research