Which term refers to teaching a sequence of responses so that the previous response serves as the SD for the next?

• A. Incidental Teaching
• B. Chaining
• C. NET
• D. DTT

Answer: (A)

Chaining is teaching a sequence of responses so that the completion of one step becomes the cue (SD) for the next. In a task chain, learners link steps together; when they finish one action, that finished response signals the next action to occur, and each step is reinforced as part of completing the whole sequence. This approach is useful for building complex skills by breaking them into manageable components and shaping continuous performance until the entire chain is fluent. For example, in teaching a child to wash hands, you train each step in order—turn on faucet, wet hands, apply soap, lather, rinse, dry—so the completion of one step naturally cues the next. Incidental Teaching, NET, and DTT focus on different principles: incidental teaching relies on learner initiation in natural settings, NET emphasizes natural environment teaching without a fixed step sequence, and DTT is about discrete, trial-based prompts and responses rather than linking steps into a single chain.