Psychology and Behavioral Coaching Practice Exam Cards

A complete set of 100 practice flashcards for the psychology and behavioral coaching module of a CPT program.

Why is psychology important to behavioral change and exercise?

It plays a key role in adopting a regular habit of exercise.

Which professionals are trained and licensed to treat people with mental illnesses?

Psychologists and psychiatrists.

What is sport and exercise psychology?

A subtopic of psychology focused on understanding why people participate in sports and exercise, including motives and barriers to participation.

What is extrinsic motivation?

Doing something for rewards or recognition.

What is intrinsic motivation?

Motivation to do something that comes from within an individual.

Which type of motivation is strongly related to long-term adherence?

Intrinsic motivation.

Why should a client's motives for exercise be reevaluated over time?

Motivation differs among individuals and changes over time.

What are the common barriers to exercise listed in Section 2?

Lack of time, unrealistic goals, lack of social support, social physique anxiety, lack of convenience, and ambivalence.

How can lack of time as an exercise barrier be minimized?

Improve time management and reevaluate daily priorities.

Why can unrealistic goals become a barrier to exercise?

They can discourage exercise; the fitness professional should help the client set appropriate outcome and process goals.

What is social physique anxiety?

Feeling anxious about how others perceive one's body.

How can a fitness professional help a client with social physique anxiety?

Help the client find activities that reduce the anxiety and create a comfortable exercise environment.

How can the perception that exercise is inconvenient be overcome?

Make the exercise experience appealing through excellent customer service and clean facilities, and help clients find ways to exercise outside a fitness facility.

What is ambivalence to exercise?

Having mixed feelings about exercise and likely seeing both pros and cons to participation.

Where can social influences on exercise come from?

Other people, the internet, or the environment.

Can social influences affect exercise positively and negatively?

Yes. They can lead people both toward and away from exercise.

What does social support consist of?

A source (who or what provides it) and a type of support.

What are the four types of social support?

Instrumental, emotional, informational, and companionship.

What is instrumental support?

Tangible things that assist a person's ability to exercise.

What are examples of instrumental support?

Transportation to a fitness facility, childcare assistance, or packing someone's gym bag.

What is emotional support?

Being caring, empathetic, and concerned about someone's exercise experience.

What does showing empathy mean?

Being able to relate to the way another person feels or views a situation.

What is informational support?

Providing accurate and current information about fitness and exercise.

Why is informational support a major reason people seek a fitness professional?

Fitness professionals can provide accurate and current fitness and exercise information.

What is companionship support?

Exercising with another person.

What are group influences on exercise?

The influence other people have over whether or not someone exercises.

What are examples of sources of group influence?

Family members, parents, exercise leaders, exercise groups, and the surrounding community.

Whose influence is especially important for children and adolescents?

Parents.

Which type of support is often cited as the most influential?

Instrumental support.

What is the exercise leader responsible for?

Setting the tone of the class and creating an inviting and inclusive exercise environment.

How can an exercise group help exercise adherence?

Once formed, groups can create additional accountability and encouragement.

How does the community influence exercise?

Through the safety of the exercise environment and the number of exercise opportunities.

What community features can provide exercise opportunities?

Sidewalks, green spaces, playgrounds, and walking trails.

What psychological benefits of exercise are listed in the study guide?

Improved mood, better sleep quality, increased self-esteem, improved body image, and fewer depression and anxiety symptoms.

What are the three listed examples of extrinsic motivation for exercise?

Social recognition; rewards from competitions such as a trophy or award; improvement of physical appearance.

Is improving physical appearance intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?

Extrinsic motivation.

Is winning a trophy intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?

Extrinsic motivation.

What are the three listed examples of intrinsic motivation for exercise?

Stress relief; increasing energy; finding new ways to be challenged physically.

Is stress relief intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?

Intrinsic motivation.

Is increasing energy intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?

Intrinsic motivation.

What are the listed examples of outcome goals?

Placing in the top $10$ in a $10K$ race; achieving a certain body-fat level; achieving a certain level of strength improvement.

Is placing in the top $10$ of a $10K$ an outcome goal or process goal?

Outcome goal.

Is achieving a certain body-fat level an outcome goal or process goal?

Outcome goal.

What are the listed examples of process goals?

Jogging $45\,minutes$ at $6:30\,a.m.$ Monday-Friday; eating $1,600$ calories per day of mostly whole, unprocessed foods; strength training $5\,days$ per week targeting each muscle group.

Is jogging for $45\,minutes$ at a scheduled time to assist weight loss an outcome or process goal?

Process goal.

Is eating $1,600$ calories per day to assist weight loss an outcome or process goal?

Process goal.

Is strength training $5\,days$ per week to increase muscle mass an outcome or process goal?

Process goal.

What do clients expect from a CPT?

Professionalism.

What should a facility and professional relationship support?

Training competency.

What should program designs be based on?

The client's abilities.

What should program designs address?

The client's health concerns and goals.

What is self-efficacy?

One's belief that they can complete a task, goal, or performance; also known as self-confidence.

How important is self-efficacy to adult physical activity?

It is one of the strongest determinants of physical activity in adults.

What is the focus of many coaching efforts?

Increasing a person's self-efficacy.

What two techniques are essential for developing a self-regulatory strategy to improve self-efficacy?

Planning and self-monitoring.

What can affect a person's readiness to perform resistance training?

Affective judgments and subjective norms.

What should CPTs assess regarding behavior change?

A client's stage of change.

What should CPTs promote in exercise?

Competency.

What are the five stages of change in order?

Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance.

What forms of communication are important for professional client relationships?

Both verbal and nonverbal communication.

What is active listening?

Having a genuine interest in understanding the client's health and fitness goals.

What does active listening involve?

Asking appropriate questions, avoiding distractions and inner dialogue, and providing appropriate feedback.

What is motivational interviewing?

A style of coaching used to enhance intrinsic motivation for change.

What discrepancy can a CPT help develop in motivational interviewing?

A discrepancy between the client's current state and ideal state.

What is change talk used for in motivational interviewing?

To promote the client's own discussion and motivation for change.

What three change-related factors can a CPT assess?

Readiness, willingness, and perceived ability to change.

What are BCTs used to enhance?

The determinants of behavior.

What can CPTs enhance with behavior change strategies?

A client's confidence, motivation, or self-regulation skills.

What strategies can support self-regulation?

Planning, self-monitoring, and goal setting.

What cognitive strategies can help change behaviors?

Positive self-talk, imagery, and psyching up before activity.

What does SMART stand for in this study guide?

Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

What two types of goals should clients focus on?

Process goals and outcome goals.

How should long-term goals be approached for best outcomes?

Determine larger long-term goals, then develop a series of smaller goals that drive progress toward the main goal.

What is self-monitoring?

Observing, measuring, and evaluating one's own behavior, often using a diary or log.

What is precontemplation?

The client does not exercise and is not planning to start exercising within $6\,months$.

A client does not exercise and has no plans to begin within $6\,months$. What stage are they in?

Precontemplation.

What is contemplation?

The person is thinking about implementing change but has not taken steps to get started; they may take action within the next $6\,months$.

A client is thinking about exercising and may begin within $6\,months$ but has not started. What stage are they in?

Contemplation.

What is preparation?

The client intends to act in the near future, usually within the next month.

A client plans to start exercising within the next month. What stage are they in?

Preparation.

What is action?

The client has made specific modifications in their exercise routine within the past $6\,months$.

A client began exercising $3\,months$ ago. What stage are they in?

Action.

What is maintenance?

The client has been exercising for more than $6\,months$ and is working to prevent relapse.

A client has exercised consistently for $8\,months$. What stage are they in?

Maintenance.

What is decisional balance?

The client's weighing of the pros and cons of changing.

What is a closed-ended question?

A question generally answered with a brief or yes/no response.

Give the study guide's examples of closed-ended questions.

Are you motivated to exercise?; Can you commit to exercising $3\,days$ per week?; Do you enjoy exercise?

Is 'Are you motivated to exercise?' open-ended or closed-ended?

Closed-ended.

Is 'Can you commit to exercising $3\,days$ per week?' open-ended or closed-ended?

Closed-ended.

Is 'Do you enjoy exercise?' open-ended or closed-ended?

Closed-ended.

Give the study guide's examples of open-ended questions.

How might you go about making this change?; What challenges do you see, and how can you plan to overcome them?; What work are you prepared to do to reach your goal?; What have you tried in the past to reach your fitness goal?

Is 'How might you go about making this change?' open-ended or closed-ended?

Open-ended.

Is 'What challenges do you see, and how can you plan to overcome them?' open-ended or closed-ended?

Open-ended.

Is 'What have you tried in the past to reach your fitness goal?' open-ended or closed-ended?

Open-ended.

Give the muscle-gain SMART goal example from the study guide.

Gain $5\,pounds$ ($2.27\,kg$) of muscle within $5\,months$, starting today, by weight lifting a minimum of $4\,days$ per week for $1\,hour$ each session.

Give the blood-pressure SMART goal example from the study guide.

Reduce blood pressure by $5\,points$ within $6\,months$ by walking at least $30\,minutes$ each day and reducing daily salt intake to no more than $2,300\,mg$ per day.

Give the body-fat-loss SMART goal example from the study guide.

Lose $10\,pounds$ ($4.53\,kg$) of body fat within $3\,months$ by reducing daily calories from $3,000$ to $2,000$ and exercising at moderate intensity for at least $150\,minutes$ per week.

Why is 'I will lose weight so I can become the best version of myself' not a SMART goal?

It is not specific or measurable and has no timeframe.

Why is 'I will gain $10\,pounds$ of muscle, so I'm ready for beach season' not SMART according to the guide?

It is not specific about the steps that will be performed to gain muscle.

Why is 'I will lose $50\,pounds$ in two months for my class reunion' not SMART?

It is not realistic; losing $50\,pounds$ in $2\,months$ safely is impossible for most people.