Chaining

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Chaining is an instructional procedure used in Behavioral Psychology. It involves reinforcing individual responses occurring in a sequence to form a complex behavior. It is frequently used for training behavioral sequences (or "chains") that are beyond the current repertoire of the learner. The chain is broken down into steps using task analysis. The learner is then taught each step individually. The chain is set in motion through the use of a discriminant stimulus, or prompt. Eventually, each step, or link, in the chain becomes the discriminant stimulus for the following link. The final step is usually associated with some sort of natural reinforcer (a stimulus that increases the probability of behavior and is a natural consequence of performing the behavior). As the earlier steps become associated with the latter steps through classical conditioning, the steps begin to take on reinforcement value. Thus, the occurrence of a later link after an earlier link increases the probability that the organism will perform the earlier link again (which, of course, will serve as a prompt for the later link). As small chains become mastered, i.e. are performed consistently following a single discriminant stimulus, they may be used as links in larger chains. Each chain then becomes a discriminant stimulus for the following chain and a reinforcer for the previous chain. The most common forms of chaining are backward chaining, forward chaining, and total task presentation.