Cognitive Capabilities
Assessment of the problem-solving skill necessary to implement PBL requires that individuals demonstrate their ability to achieve some goal when the method to do so is unknown and a single, correct answer is unavailable. Proxy measures of such skill, including performance references or supervisor ratings, may be employed, but they are subject to pressures that may reduce their utility. Army-funded research has validated more direct measures of problemsolving skill, which require examinees to construct responses to complex, ill-defined military leadership problem scenarios (Zaccaro, Mumford, Connelly, Marks, & Gilbert, 2000). Responses may be subjectively scored essays that address various aspects of the problem-solving process, including information encoding and idea evaluation. Responses also may be constructed by assembling selections from a set of pre-determined options.