Major purposes of the study were to: (1) determine the critical behavioral requirements for the generic job of Idaho Extension agricultural agent based on the analysis of critical incidents, and (2) study several situational factors related to critical incidents. Situational factors were: (1) most important subject content (social, technological, or "combination"); (2) initiator of action (agent, others, or failure of agent to take action); (3) most important contact between agent and others (individual, group, or mass audience); and (4) social system with which the agent was involved. Fifth-eight critical job requirements were developed by inductively categorizing 975 critical behaviors identified in the incidents, using a training frame of reference. Behaviors (and job requirements) classified by areas and subareas described the critical aspects of the agent's job. Agents appeared to perform more effectively in situations requiring a combination of social and technical skills, and in situations which were socially structured. They appeared to be more effective when they initiated action than when others did. Agents seemed to vary in their ability to conceptualize the job and their relationship to it. Evidence suggested that effectiveness of a worker may be influenced by the tangibility of the subject area with which he deals. (Author/NL)