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Phylogenic selectionism shaped through the evolutionary survival history of the human species is the correct choice because unconditioned reflexes, such as the rooting and sucking reflexes in infants, are products of natural selection across generations that enhance species survival. Phylogenic selectionism accounts for biological characteristics and respondent behaviors that an organism possesses at birth without prior individual learning history. Ontogenic selectionism acquired through continuous environmental interactions across the individual's lifetime is incorrect because ontogeny refers to behavior changes that occur during an organism's lifespan as a result of operant conditioning and personal environmental experiences, which had not yet occurred for this newborn. Cultural selectionism transmitted across successive generations through verbal imitation and modeling is incorrect because it describes the propagation of behavioral practices across groups through social transmission and symbolic communication rather than inherited physiological reflexes. Operant selectionism maintained by immediate post-response stimulus changes within the current environment is incorrect because operant selection requires prior reinforcement or punishment of emitted behavior, whereas the described infant responses are unconditioned, elicited reflexes present immediately at birth.

The Premack principle states that contingent access to a high-probability behavior can serve as an effective reinforcer for engaging in a low-probability behavior. Because computer play is observed to occur at a high baseline probability and handwriting occurs at a low probability, arranging computer play contingent on handwriting exemplifies this principle. Stimulus-stimulus pairing involves repeatedly presenting a neutral stimulus alongside an established unconditioned or conditioned reinforcer to condition the neutral stimulus, which is not what is arranged here. The response deprivation hypothesis is an extension of Premack that requires restricting an activity below its baseline free-access level to create an establishing operation, but the core behavioral principle establishing that high-probability actions reinforce low-probability ones is the Premack principle itself. Negative reinforcement involves the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus contingent on a response, whereas this intervention utilizes contingent access to a preferred activity.

Least-to-most prompting begins each learning opportunity by presenting the natural antecedent or instruction and providing a brief latency for an unprompted, independent response. If the learner does not respond correctly within that window, the instructor delivers the least intrusive prompt designated in the hierarchy (such as a gestural prompt), progressively moving to more intrusive prompts only if the learner fails to respond at each stage. Providing immediate full physical guidance represents most-to-least prompting or graduated guidance, not least-to-most. Modeling while simultaneously offering manual guidance delivers multiple intrusive prompts together, violating the rule of starting with the lowest-level assist. Repeating the initial verbal instruction while withholding assistance merely re-presents the initial instruction rather than advancing systematically to the next level of assistance defined in the prompting hierarchy.

In forward chaining, training naturally begins on the first step in the behavioral sequence. The learner is taught and reinforced for performing step one, while the instructor completes all subsequent steps in the chain. Once mastery criterion is achieved on step one, instruction advances to step two, with the instructor completing the remaining steps until the chain is mastered in natural order. Providing prompting across every single step sequentially describes total-task chaining, where all components are taught concurrently during each trial. Completing initial steps and instructing the final step describes backward chaining, where the terminal response is taught first to allow the client to access the terminal reinforcer immediately. Requiring independent completion of the entire shoe-tying sequence without systematic chaining procedures assumes the learner already possesses the entire repertoire and fails to apply any task-analytic instructional procedure.

Positive practice overcorrection requires the learner to repeatedly perform the correct, adaptive form of the behavior contingent on the occurrence of the problem behavior. Requiring the student to practice walking appropriately down the hallway four times after running directly exemplifies positive practice. Restitutional overcorrection requires the individual to restore the environment to a state vastly superior to its condition prior to the problem behavior, such as picking up and reorganizing the entire display area. Contingent exercise requires the learner to perform a topographically unrelated motor movement, such as doing jumping jacks or running laps, rather than repeatedly practicing the correct alternative behavior. Negative practice requires the individual to repeatedly engage in the incorrect or inappropriate topography of the behavior (e.g., repeatedly running), which is the opposite of positive practice.