CPSS Performance and Wellness 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which psychological construct, defined as an athlete's belief in their ability to perform a specific task successfully, is most directly linked to performance outcomes under pressure?
- Trait anxiety
- Self-efficacy (Correct answer)
- Intrinsic motivation
- Attentional focus
Correct answer: Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy, as defined by Bandura, is the strongest individual-level predictor of performance because it directly shapes effort, persistence, and resilience under competitive stress.
Question 2: A certified sport scientist is reviewing an athlete's sleep diary. The athlete reports waking frequently during the night and feeling unrefreshed. Which sleep stage disruption is most likely responsible for impaired physical recovery?
- Stage 1 NREM
- Stage 2 NREM
- Slow-wave sleep (Stage 3 NREM) (Correct answer)
- REM sleep
Correct answer: Slow-wave sleep (Stage 3 NREM)
Slow-wave sleep (SWS) is the deepest NREM stage and is when the majority of growth hormone is released, making it the most critical stage for physical repair and recovery.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the 'fitness-fatigue' (two-factor) model of training adaptation?
- Fitness and fatigue both decay at the same rate after training
- Training simultaneously produces a fitness gain and a fatigue effect, with fatigue dissipating faster than fitness (Correct answer)
- Fatigue accumulates independently of fitness and is managed separately
- Fitness gains can only occur after fatigue is fully eliminated
Correct answer: Training simultaneously produces a fitness gain and a fatigue effect, with fatigue dissipating faster than fitness
The fitness-fatigue model posits that training generates both fitness (long decay) and fatigue (short decay), and performance is expressed only when fatigue dissipates sufficiently to reveal the underlying fitness gain.
Question 4: An athlete experiencing symptoms of relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) would most likely show which constellation of findings?
- High bone density, elevated testosterone, increased aerobic capacity
- Low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, decreased bone density (Correct answer)
- High resting metabolic rate, improved recovery, stable mood
- Elevated IGF-1, normal menstrual function, increased muscle mass
Correct answer: Low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, decreased bone density
RED-S is characterized by low energy availability that disrupts hormonal function, leading to menstrual irregularities and impaired bone health among other systemic consequences.
Question 5: When monitoring training load in team sports, what is the primary advantage of using session RPE (sRPE) compared to GPS-based external load measures?
- sRPE captures internal physiological and psychological strain regardless of movement patterns (Correct answer)
- sRPE is more accurate at measuring distance covered
- sRPE eliminates the need for any other monitoring tool
- sRPE is validated only for individual sport athletes
Correct answer: sRPE captures internal physiological and psychological strain regardless of movement patterns
Session RPE reflects the athlete's perceived internal strain from the entire session, capturing psychological and physiological stress that GPS metrics (external load) cannot quantify.
Question 6: Which recovery intervention has been shown to be most effective at reducing core body temperature and improving subsequent performance in the heat?
- Hot bath immersion
- Whole-body cryotherapy at -110°C
- Cold water immersion or ice slurry ingestion (Correct answer)
- Passive rest in shade
Correct answer: Cold water immersion or ice slurry ingestion
Cold water immersion and ice slurry ingestion are among the most effective pre- or post-cooling strategies for reducing core temperature and sustaining thermoregulatory capacity in heat.
Question 7: A sport scientist uses the session RPE method and collects the following data: RPE = 7, session duration = 60 minutes. What is the training load in arbitrary units (AU)?
- 7 AU
- 67 AU
- 420 AU (Correct answer)
- 8.6 AU
Correct answer: 420 AU
Training load using Foster's session RPE method is calculated as RPE × duration in minutes: 7 × 60 = 420 AU.
CPSS Performance and Wellness 4
Which psychological construct, defined as an athlete's belief in their ability to perform a specific task successfully, is most directly linked to performance outcomes under pressure?