Which operant conditioning technique involves exposing individuals to fears in a controlled setting?

The technique that involves exposing individuals to their fears in a controlled setting is flooding therapy. This method is rooted in classical conditioning and aims to help individuals confront their fears head-on, without the usual avoidance behaviors they might engage in. By experiencing the feared situation in a safe environment, individuals can gradually learn that their fears are unfounded or that they can manage their anxiety responses.

During flooding, the individual is exposed to the feared object or situation for an extended period of time, allowing them to process their fear and anxiety. Over time, with continuous exposure, the fear response diminishes, leading to desensitization. This therapeutic approach is particularly effective for specific phobias, as it aims to break the cycle of avoidance that often keeps fears alive.

Positive reinforcement, aversion therapy, and extinction procedures do not involve the direct and prolonged exposure to fear-inducing stimuli in the same way flooding does. Positive reinforcement focuses on encouraging desired behaviors through rewards, aversion therapy seeks to reduce undesired behaviors through unpleasant stimuli, and extinction procedures involve the reduction of a behavior by removing the reinforcement that maintains it, all of which fall outside the specific practice of fear exposure inherent to flooding therapy.