Introduction: Success in unpredictable, high-stakes environments often depends on ingenuity, defined as the ability to break from established routines and avoid functional fixedness when solving problems. However, traditional training practices tend to emphasize standard procedures and rule adherence, leaving individuals underprepared for situations requiring flexible, creative responses in resource-constrained environments.


Purpose: This project introduces a novel training framework using situational judgment tests (SJTs) to strengthen ingenuity and adaptive problem solving. The research explores how SJT-based training, compared to more commonly used critical incident (CI)-based training, promotes set-breaking, creativity, and the capacity to transfer problem-solving strategies to novel contexts.


Method: Critical incidents were collected from subject matter experts to construct scenarios that require innovative responses. SMEs provided ratings of effective versus rigid approaches. A psychometric validation study with student samples examines reliability and validity prior to implementation with Soldiers. Soldiers will then be randomly assigned to SJT or CI training conditions, with performance evaluated through a transfer simulation explicitly designed to test flexibility, originality, and reduced reliance on habitual strategies.


Results: It is expected that SJT-based training will outperform CI-based training in fostering ingenuity and reducing functional fixedness. Participants exposed to SJT training are anticipated to demonstrate greater creativity, more effective set-breaking strategies, and improved adaptability in transfer tasks.


Conclusions: This project provides a proof-of-concept for integrating SJTs into training to cultivate ingenuity and reduce functional fixedness. Findings will advance theory and practice in assessment and training by offering scalable tools to prepare individuals for the cognitive demands of complex and dynamic environments.