Chaining: A Sequential Response Procedure

The procedure described is a method used in behavior analysis to teach complex behaviors composed of multiple steps. It involves establishing a specific sequence of responses, where each response leads to the next, ultimately resulting in a reward upon completion of the final response. This technique is known as Chaining.

Understanding Backward Chaining

A key aspect of the described procedure is "working backwards". This refers to the specific technique called backward chaining. In this method:

• The learner is first taught the final response in the sequence.
• Once the final response is mastered, the second-to-last response is taught, connecting it to the final one.
• This process continues backward, linking each preceding response until the entire sequence is learned, starting from the beginning.

The final response in the chain typically leads to the primary reward.

Distinguishing Chaining from Related Concepts

It's important to differentiate chaining from other behavioral concepts:

• Shaping reinforces successive approximations toward a single target behavior, not a sequence.
• Stimulus control occurs when a behavior is more likely to occur in the presence of a specific stimulus.
• Stimulus generalization is responding similarly to different stimuli that share common features.

Chaining specifically focuses on linking multiple discrete behaviors together in a predetermined order.