Teaching One Behavior Two Ways

Building a full behavior plan means selecting between classical, operant, and observational methods for one target and defending each choice.

One target — a child who refuses to enter the dentist's office — worked through completely. The classical route: identifying the conditioned stimulus, planning graduated exposure, anticipating spontaneous recovery. The operant route: selecting the reinforcer, choosing the schedule, planning for the extinction burst. The observational route: sibling modeling with visible vicarious reinforcement. Ends by naming which route the evidence favors here and why the other two still contribute.