Task analysis is a procedure having the purpose of identifying different kinds of performances which are outcomes of learning, in order to make possible the specification of optimal instructional conditions for each kind of outcome. Task analysis may be related to content analysis in two different ways: (1) it may be used to identify the probably intended outcomes of existing content; and (2) it may be employed to design effective instruction, and thus to determine instructional content. When used for the latter purpose, the distinction is important between content which has a purely mathemagenic function, and content which is itself to be learned. When the intended outcome is an intellectual skill, verbal propositions provide cues for retrieval and other learning processes. In contrast, when the intended outcome is information, verbal statements must be learned as propositions, so that they can later be recalled and stated by the learner. (Author/RC)