An advantage of backward chaining is that the learner performs the final behavior that contacts the terminal reinforcer during every instructional trial.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Not sure
• D. Depends

Answer: (B)

Backward chaining centers on the idea that the learner directly performs the last step that contacts the terminal reinforcer on every instructional trial. In this approach you prompt through all earlier steps, but the learner completes the final action, and reinforcement follows immediately after that last step each time. This guarantees consistent reinforcement for the final behavior, strengthens the link between that behavior and the reward, and helps maintain motivation while the rest of the sequence is gradually learned. For example, when teaching a multi-step task like washing hands, the instructor handles the initial steps and the learner performs the final step that leads to reinforcement on every trial, with prompts fading over time as the entire sequence is mastered. The other options aren’t accurate because backward chaining is defined by that consistent final-step reinforcement on every trial.