ABA glossary
Task analysis
Definition
Breaking a complex skill into a written list of individual, teachable steps in the order they are performed. The list is used to teach the skill as a chain and to measure which steps the learner can do.
In plain words
Many daily skills, such as washing hands, making a sandwich, or getting dressed, are really chains of smaller steps. A task analysis lists those steps clearly enough that anyone teaching the skill does it the same way. Step size depends on the learner: a beginner may need 15 small steps where another learner needs 5. Task analyses can be developed by watching skilled people do the task, consulting experts, or doing the task yourself, and then adjusting the list after trying it with the learner.
Example from a session
Jade's toothbrushing task analysis has 12 steps, from "pick up toothbrush" to "rinse brush and put it away." Each session, the RBT reads the steps on the data sheet, teaches using the chaining method in the plan, and marks each step as independent or prompted. The data show which steps Jade can already do, so teaching time goes to the steps she cannot.
For BCBA candidates and supervisors
Analysts validate a task analysis by checking it against competent performers and by assessing the learner's current level with a single-opportunity or multiple-opportunity method before teaching. The single-opportunity method stops at the first error and is conservative; the multiple-opportunity method completes missed steps for the learner and assesses every step. The task analysis then drives the choice of forward, backward, or total-task chaining. Individualizing step size, and revising it when data stall, prevents errors from becoming part of the chain.
Often confused with behavior chain, backward chaining
A task analysis is the written list of steps; a behavior chain is the sequence of behaviors itself; chaining (forward, backward, total-task) is the teaching method that uses the task analysis. A question asking for the "list of steps" wants task analysis, not a chaining procedure.
Exam tip
Remember the order: the task analysis is written, the learner's current performance on each step is assessed, and then a chaining method is chosen. Teaching before assessing wastes time on steps the learner already does.
Can you spot task analysis in a scenario?
Practice RBT C.5 with exam-style questions and instant feedback.