Task Analysis and Chaining

Understanding Behavior Chains and Task Analysis

In everyday life, many meaningful behaviors are actually sequences of individual actions linked together. In behavior analysis, this sequence is known as a behavior chain. A behavior chain consists of a series of discrete responses that lead to a terminal outcome or reinforcer. Common daily living skills taught using this framework include handwashing, tooth brushing, and meal preparation. Completing the final step of the chain produces the terminal outcome or reinforcer, such as having clean hands or enjoying a prepared meal.

What makes a behavior chain work together as a cohesive unit is the connection between each link. In a behavior chain, the result of completing a step can serve two distinct functions simultaneously: it acts as a conditioned reinforcer for that step, and it serves as a discriminative stimulus for the next step. For example, during handwashing, turning on the water produces flowing water. For a learner with the relevant learning history, the running water can function as a conditioned reinforcer for turning the handle and as a discriminative stimulus for placing hands under the stream. Each response creates the environmental change that signals the next response, continuing until the final step produces the terminal reinforcer.

To teach a complex behavior chain effectively, a supervisor breaks it down through a process called task analysis. A task analysis breaks a complex behavioral chain into smaller, sequential, and teachable steps. The supervising BCBA or BCaBA oversees the task analysis and individualizes it to the learner's skills, needs, and physical abilities. The supervisor approves the individualized task analysis and teaching plan, and the RBT implements the written plan as directed. An RBT must not alter or delete steps in a written task analysis without supervisor approval.