ACSM-EP Behavioral Coaching 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept from Social Cognitive Theory refers to learning exercise skills by watching others perform them?
- Reciprocal determinism
- Vicarious experience (Correct answer)
- Verbal persuasion
- Emotional arousal
Correct answer: Vicarious experience
Vicarious experience (observational learning) is one of Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy, involving watching a similar model succeed.
Question 2: A client who has never exercised before completes a 10-minute walk without difficulty. The exercise physiologist highlights this success to build confidence. This technique is called:
- Positive reinforcement
- Mastery experience (Correct answer)
- Cognitive reframing
- Shaping
Correct answer: Mastery experience
Mastery experiences are the strongest source of self-efficacy, as personal accomplishment provides direct evidence of capability.
Question 3: Stimulus control as a behavioral strategy involves:
- Increasing exercise intensity based on heart rate signals
- Modifying the environment to trigger or support exercise behavior (Correct answer)
- Controlling breathing patterns during resistance training
- Using biofeedback to regulate autonomic responses
Correct answer: Modifying the environment to trigger or support exercise behavior
Stimulus control modifies antecedents in the environment (e.g., laying out gym clothes) to cue desired behavior.
Question 4: Which term describes the fluctuation between commitment and resistance that a client feels when considering a behavior change?
- Locus of control
- Ambivalence (Correct answer)
- Outcome expectancy
- Behavioral intention
Correct answer: Ambivalence
Ambivalence—simultaneously wanting and not wanting to change—is a central concept in motivational interviewing that coaches are trained to resolve.
Question 5: An exercise physiologist avoids arguing with a client who resists exercise recommendations. This MI principle is called:
- Rolling with resistance (Correct answer)
- Affirming autonomy
- Developing discrepancy
- Expressing empathy
Correct answer: Rolling with resistance
Rolling with resistance avoids direct confrontation, instead reflecting or reframing the client's statements to reduce defensiveness.
Question 6: Goal-setting theory suggests that exercise goals are most effective when they are:
- Broad, flexible, and long-term only
- Set exclusively by the exercise physiologist
- Specific, moderately difficult, and accepted by the client (Correct answer)
- Focused on outcome metrics like weight loss
Correct answer: Specific, moderately difficult, and accepted by the client
Locke and Latham's goal-setting theory identifies specificity, moderate challenge, and personal commitment as key features of effective goals.
Question 7: A client relapses to sedentary behavior after a holiday. According to Marlatt's Relapse Prevention Model, the most important coaching response is:
- Restart the program from Week 1 with lower intensity
- Explore the high-risk situation and strengthen coping strategies (Correct answer)
- Impose a structured accountability contract
- Increase session frequency to make up for lost time
Correct answer: Explore the high-risk situation and strengthen coping strategies
Relapse prevention focuses on identifying high-risk situations and building coping skills to prevent future lapses from becoming full relapses.
ACSM-EP Behavioral Coaching 3
Which concept from Social Cognitive Theory refers to learning exercise skills by watching others perform them?