John Clemans Flanagan, (January 7, 1906 – April 15, 1996) was a noted psychologist most known for developing the critical incident technique, which identifies and classifies behaviors associated with the success or failure of human activity.
During World War II Flanagan was commissioned by the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1941 to head an aviation psychology program that developed tests to help identify pilots suitable for combat missions.
Flanagan was born in Armour, South Dakota on January 7, 1906, and raised in Seattle, Washington.
[2] He graduated from the University of Washington in 1929, and was the starting quarterback on the football team his senior year.
In 1960 Flanagan initiated Project Talent, a massive survey of more than 400,000 high school students throughout the United States.