ACE Behavior Change and Motivation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client who has maintained an exercise routine for 8 months still fears reverting to old habits. According to the Transtheoretical Model, this client is MOST likely in which stage?
- Action
- Maintenance (Correct answer)
- Preparation
- Termination
Correct answer: Maintenance
The Maintenance stage spans from 6 months onward and is characterized by sustained behavior change combined with ongoing vigilance against relapse.
Question 2: A trainer wants to help a sedentary client begin walking. Using the concept of 'shaping,' the trainer would BEST proceed by:
- Prescribing 150 minutes of moderate activity immediately
- Reinforcing successive approximations toward the target behavior (Correct answer)
- Waiting until the client is fully ready before starting
- Setting a single long-term outcome goal
Correct answer: Reinforcing successive approximations toward the target behavior
Shaping reinforces small, successive steps that progressively approach the target behavior, making large behavioral changes manageable.
Question 3: Which of the following BEST describes the concept of 'change talk' in motivational interviewing?
- Statements the trainer makes to persuade the client to change
- Client statements that favor movement toward behavior change (Correct answer)
- Reflections of the client's ambivalence about exercise
- Direct advice the trainer provides about healthy habits
Correct answer: Client statements that favor movement toward behavior change
Change talk refers to client-generated statements expressing desire, ability, reasons, or need for change, which predict actual behavioral change.
Question 4: A client reports that her friends think exercise is a waste of time, which decreases her motivation. This influence reflects which construct of the Theory of Planned Behavior?
- Attitude toward the behavior
- Perceived behavioral control
- Subjective norms (Correct answer)
- Behavioral intention
Correct answer: Subjective norms
Subjective norms represent the perceived social pressure from important others regarding whether one should perform the behavior.
Question 5: Which strategy is MOST effective for helping clients transition from external to internal regulation of exercise behavior?
- Increasing tangible rewards such as prizes
- Providing autonomy-supportive coaching that emphasizes choice (Correct answer)
- Setting strict behavioral contracts with penalties
- Focusing exclusively on aesthetic outcome goals
Correct answer: Providing autonomy-supportive coaching that emphasizes choice
Autonomy-supportive coaching fosters internalization by offering choices and rationale, supporting movement toward more self-determined forms of motivation.
Question 6: A client experiences a lapse by missing two workout sessions. Using relapse prevention strategies, the trainer should FIRST help the client:
- Immediately increase workout frequency to compensate
- Identify the high-risk situation that triggered the lapse (Correct answer)
- Restart the program from the beginning
- Reduce goal difficulty permanently
Correct answer: Identify the high-risk situation that triggered the lapse
Relapse prevention theory prioritizes identifying the triggering high-risk situation so the client can develop coping strategies to prevent a full relapse.
Question 7: According to ACE, when a client expresses readiness to change but lacks confidence, the trainer should focus on interventions that target:
- Outcome goal clarity
- Self-efficacy enhancement (Correct answer)
- Extrinsic reward systems
- Motivational education sessions
Correct answer: Self-efficacy enhancement
Low confidence despite readiness signals a self-efficacy deficit, so the trainer should use mastery experiences, modeling, and encouragement to build confidence.
ACE Behavior Change and Motivation 5
A client who has maintained an exercise routine for 8 months still fears reverting to old habits.
According to the Transtheoretical Model, this client is MOST likely in which stage?