A behavioral technique where complex behaviors are taught by linking together a sequence of simpler behaviors in a specific order. Each behavior in the chain serves as both a reinforcer for the previous behavior and a cue for the next behavior.
From Old French 'chaine' meaning a series of connected links, first applied to psychology in the 1950s by behaviorists who saw complex behaviors as chains of stimulus-response connections. The metaphor perfectly captured how individual responses link together to form elaborate behavioral sequences.
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