Estella is afraid of cats. To help her overcome her fear, her mother calmly pets and strokes a cat while Estella is watching. Her mother encourages her to imitate her behavior. Estella's mother is using ________________

A) systematic desensitization
B) aversive conditioning
C) flooding
D) modeling

Answer: D
Rationale: One technique used in exposure therapy is observational learning or "modeling." With this method, the client observes another person engage with the feared object or situation.