Several concepts and techniques used to design computer simulation of human performance were employed in developing an information processing approach to task analysis. This new approach is compared and contrasted with Gagne's hierarchical task analysis model. Two conceptual levels of a behavioral objective are identified. One level, referred to as the "task level," is concerned with the determination of the subskills that are required to learn and perform the terminal objective of a task. The second level, the "rule level," is concerned with the discovery of order relationships between subskills. Neither hierarchical nor information processing analysis would be sufficient for all types of tasks. A hierarchical analysis would be appropriate where lower ordered skills generate positive transfer to higher level skills, while an information processing analysis would be utilized where the output of one task subskill or operation is required as input for a succeeding operation (behavior chaining). (Author/JY)