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ACE Behavior Change Specialist study materials
ACE Behavior Change Specialist study resources

ACE Behavior Change Specialist practice questions

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Question 1Behavior Change Coaching

Which statement best describes the core purpose of behavior change coaching?

  1. Diagnosing clinical disorders and prescribing treatment protocols
  2. Helping clients build sustainable habits through collaborative, client-centered strategies Correct answer.
  3. Delivering a rigid, one-size-fits-all program for every client
  4. Replacing the client's decisions with the coach's expert judgment

Explanation

Behavior change coaching is a collaborative process that supports clients in building lasting habits using evidence-informed, individualized strategies. It is not a clinical diagnostic role, and the coach facilitates rather than dictates the client's choices.

Question 2Behavior Change Coaching

A client says, "I want to get healthier." Which coaching response best moves toward a well-formed goal?

  1. That's a great start; let's leave it open-ended for now
  2. Let's define what healthier looks like and how you'll measure progress Correct answer.
  3. Health is subjective, so goals aren't really necessary
  4. You should aim to lose 20 pounds in a month

Explanation

Well-formed goals are specific and measurable, so the coach helps the client operationalize a vague aspiration into observable targets. Leaving goals vague or dismissing them prevents tracking and accountability.

Question 3Behavior Change Coaching

In the transtheoretical model, which stage is characterized by intending to take action within the next six months?

  1. Precontemplation
  2. Maintenance
  3. Action
  4. Contemplation Correct answer.

Explanation

Contemplation is defined by awareness of a problem and intention to change within roughly the next six months, without yet committing to action. Precontemplation lacks intention, while action and maintenance involve already-changed behavior.

Question 4Behavior Change Coaching

Self-determination theory identifies three basic psychological needs that support motivation. Which trio is correct?

  1. Autonomy, competence, relatedness Correct answer.
  2. Stimulation, identity, habit
  3. Arousal, control, mastery
  4. Reward, punishment, reinforcement

Explanation

Self-determination theory holds that satisfying autonomy, competence, and relatedness fosters more internalized, durable motivation. The other lists describe reinforcement principles or unrelated constructs rather than basic psychological needs.

Question 5Behavior Change Coaching

A client who has maintained a new exercise routine for eight months occasionally misses a week due to travel. What is the most appropriate coaching focus?

  1. End coaching since the habit is now fully established
  2. Reinforce relapse-prevention skills and normalize occasional lapses Correct answer.
  3. Treat the lapse as failure and renegotiate the goal
  4. Restart the program from the beginning to rebuild discipline

Explanation

In maintenance, the focus shifts to relapse prevention: anticipating high-risk situations, normalizing lapses, and quickly returning to the routine. A brief lapse does not erase established gains or require starting over.

Question 6Behavior Change Coaching

Which scenario best illustrates a SMART goal?

  1. I hope to be more active when life calms down
  2. I will walk 20 minutes after dinner on four weekdays each week Correct answer.
  3. I should probably eat better at some point
  4. I want to feel less stressed soon

Explanation

A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound; walking 20 minutes on four named weekdays fits all criteria. The other options are vague, unmeasured, or indefinitely postponed.

Question 7Behavior Change Coaching

According to the health belief model, which factor most directly increases the likelihood a client will take a recommended action?

  1. Low self-efficacy and low perceived threat
  2. Strong external pressure with no perceived risk
  3. High perceived susceptibility and high perceived benefits Correct answer.
  4. High perceived barriers combined with low perceived severity

Explanation

The health belief model predicts action is more likely when perceived susceptibility and severity are high and perceived benefits outweigh barriers, supported by cues to action and self-efficacy. High barriers or low threat reduce the likelihood of action.

Question 8Behavior Change Coaching

A coach reflects back, "It sounds like you feel torn between wanting to train and needing rest." Which core coaching skill is being used?

  1. Confroting
  2. Diagnosing
  3. Reflective listening Correct answer.
  4. Prescribing

Explanation

Reflective listening involves paraphrasing the client's expressed feelings and meaning to demonstrate understanding and encourage elaboration. It differs from advising, confronting, or diagnosing.

Question 9Behavior Change Coaching

A client consistently says they "should" exercise but feels no genuine interest. According to self-determination theory, this reflects which type of motivation?

  1. Integrated regulation
  2. External regulation Correct answer.
  3. Intrinsic motivation
  4. Amotivation

Explanation

External regulation is acting to satisfy external demands or avoid guilt, often experienced as "should" with little personal value. Intrinsic motivation and integrated regulation involve internalized value and enjoyment.

Question 10Behavior Change Coaching

Which coaching approach best supports a client's autonomy?

  1. Using guilt to motivate adherence
  2. Offering choices and eliciting the client's own reasons for change Correct answer.
  3. Deciding the plan for the client to save time
  4. Setting strict rules the client must follow

Explanation

Autonomy support means offering meaningful choice and drawing out the client's own values and reasons, which strengthens internalized motivation. Controlling tactics such as rules, guilt, or unilateral decisions undermine autonomy.

Question 11Behavior Change Coaching

A client reports they always skip workouts on days they work late. What is the most useful coaching step?

  1. Identify the high-risk situation and plan a specific coping response Correct answer.
  2. Tell the client to simply try harder on late days
  3. Remove the goal because it is clearly unattainable
  4. Add more workouts to compensate for the missed ones

Explanation

Naming the high-risk situation and building an if-then coping plan is a core relapse-prevention and implementation-intention strategy. It targets the specific trigger rather than relying on willpower or overcorrection.

Question 12Behavior Change Coaching

Which is an example of a process goal rather than an outcome goal?

  1. Completing three resistance sessions per week Correct answer.
  2. Reducing body fat by five percent
  3. Losing 10 pounds by summer
  4. Running a marathon in under four hours

Explanation

Process goals target the behaviors the client controls, such as frequency of training sessions, whereas outcome goals focus on end results that depend on multiple factors. Focusing on controllable processes supports adherence.

Question 13Behavior Change Coaching

A client in the action stage relapses and returns to old behavior. What is the most accurate interpretation in the transtheoretical model?

  1. The client was never really trying
  2. The client has permanently failed and should be discharged
  3. Relapse is a normal part of change and the client may cycle back through stages Correct answer.
  4. The client must restart at precontemplation permanently

Explanation

The stages of change are cyclical; relapse is a common, expected part of the process and clients often re-enter earlier stages before progressing again. It is not a permanent failure or a sign of no effort.

Question 14Behavior Change Coaching

Which practice best supports a client's sense of competence?

  1. Assigning tasks well beyond the client's current ability
  2. Comparing the client unfavorably to others
  3. Breaking goals into achievable steps and acknowledging progress Correct answer.
  4. Withholding feedback to avoid bias

Explanation

Competence is supported by structuring tasks at an achievable level and providing feedback that recognizes progress, which builds mastery experiences. Overly hard tasks, negative comparison, and absent feedback all undermine perceived competence.

Question 15Behavior Change Coaching

A client says, "I know I should stop snacking at night, but I keep doing it." Which response best reflects motivational interviewing spirit?

  1. What do you think gets in the way when the evening comes? Correct answer.
  2. You need to just use more willpower
  3. That's a bad habit you must break immediately
  4. Everyone snacks at night, so it's not a problem

Explanation

Motivational interviewing uses open questions and collaboration to help clients explore their own ambivalence and solutions. Confrontation, directives, and minimizing the concern all conflict with its spirit.

Question 16Behavior Change Coaching

Which statement about self-monitoring in behavior change is most accurate?

  1. It is most effective when the client records the target behavior consistently and reviews the data Correct answer.
  2. It should be abandoned if the client misses a single day
  3. It is unrelated to awareness of behavior
  4. It only works if a coach keeps all the records

Explanation

Self-monitoring raises awareness and supports change when clients record the behavior regularly and review patterns with the coach. Consistency matters, but a single missed day does not invalidate the practice.

Question 17Behavior Change Coaching

A client is highly motivated but has no clear plan for when and where to exercise. Which concept best explains the likely gap between intention and action?

  1. Trait anxiety
  2. Learned helplessness
  3. Classical conditioning
  4. Implementation intentions Correct answer.

Explanation

Implementation intentions are specific if-then plans linking a cue to an action, which bridge the intention-behavior gap. Without them, strong intentions often fail to translate into action.

Question 18Behavior Change Coaching

Which coaching behavior is most consistent with the principle of client-centered practice?

  1. Choosing the client's goals based on the coach's expertise
  2. Eliciting the client's values and tailoring the plan to them Correct answer.
  3. Applying the same protocol to every client
  4. Focusing only on the coach's agenda for the session

Explanation

Client-centered practice starts from the client's values and circumstances and tailors support accordingly. Coach-imposed goals, uniform protocols, and coach-driven agendas all center the coach rather than the client.

Question 19Behavior Change Coaching

A client reports strong social support from a workout partner who holds them accountable. Which construct does this most directly reflect?

  1. Perceived barriers
  2. Social support as a determinant of behavior Correct answer.
  3. Decisional balance
  4. Self-monitoring

Explanation

Supportive relationships that provide accountability are a form of social support, a well-established determinant of physical activity behavior. It is distinct from barriers, self-monitoring, and decisional balance.

Question 20Behavior Change Coaching

Which is the best example of shaping in behavior change?

  1. Punishing any attempt that falls short of the goal
  2. Removing all feedback until the goal is met
  3. Changing the goal every session
  4. Reinforcing successive approximations toward the target behavior Correct answer.

Explanation

Shaping reinforces successive approximations, gradually building a complex behavior by rewarding closer and closer steps. Punishment, absent feedback, and constantly shifting goals do not shape behavior.

Question 21Behavior Change Coaching

A client says they feel overwhelmed by a large goal. Which coaching strategy best reduces overwhelm while maintaining momentum?

  1. Break the goal into smaller, sequenced steps Correct answer.
  2. Increase the goal size to build resilience
  3. Tell the client to ignore the feeling
  4. Remove all goals until motivation returns

Explanation

Chunking a large goal into smaller sequential steps makes progress achievable and builds self-efficacy. Increasing demands, abandoning goals, or dismissing feelings all work against sustained change.

Question 22Behavior Change Coaching

Which statement about the relationship between self-efficacy and behavior change is most accurate?

  1. Self-efficacy decreases as mastery experiences accumulate
  2. Self-efficacy guarantees success regardless of planning
  3. Self-efficacy is irrelevant once a habit is formed
  4. Higher self-efficacy predicts greater persistence in the face of obstacles Correct answer.

Explanation

Self-efficacy, the belief in one's capability to perform a behavior, predicts effort and persistence, especially when obstacles arise. It is built through mastery experiences and supports but does not guarantee outcomes.

Question 23Behavior Change Coaching

A coach notices a client consistently voices both strong reasons to change and strong reasons to keep the current behavior. What is the client experiencing?

  1. Ambivalence Correct answer.
  2. Plateau
  3. Amotivation
  4. Overlearning

Explanation

Ambivalence is holding conflicting feelings about change, simultaneously wanting and not wanting it. It is the central target of motivational interviewing and differs from amotivation, overlearning, and performance plateaus.

Question 24Behavior Change Coaching

Which feedback approach is most likely to support a client's continued effort?

  1. Feedback only when the client makes a mistake
  2. Specific, timely feedback focused on controllable behaviors Correct answer.
  3. Vague praise delivered long after the behavior
  4. Feedback comparing the client to more advanced peers

Explanation

Effective feedback is specific, timely, and focused on behaviors the client can control, which supports learning and competence. Vague, delayed, comparative, or exclusively corrective feedback is less useful and may discourage.

Question 25Behavior Change Coaching

A client who has never considered changing their sedentary routine attends a session at a family member's urging. Which stage of change best fits?

  1. Preparation
  2. Contemplation
  3. Precontemplation Correct answer.
  4. Maintenance

Explanation

Precontemplation describes someone not yet considering change, often attending only because of external pressure. Contemplation and preparation involve growing intention, while maintenance involves sustained change.

Question 26Behavior Change Coaching

Which coaching action is the clearest example of collaborative goal setting?

  1. The coach sets a target and informs the client at the first session
  2. The coach assigns a target based on published exercise guidelines
  3. The client copies the goal a friend used successfully
  4. The coach and client jointly choose a target the client finds meaningful and feasible Correct answer.

Explanation

Collaborative goal setting means the target emerges from dialogue between coach and client, so the client's values and circumstances shape it. A jointly chosen, feasible target supports ownership and follow-through. Unilateral assignment or copying someone else's goal bypasses that collaboration.

Question 27Behavior Change Coaching

A client keeps a simple daily log of minutes walked and reviews it with the coach weekly. What is the main coaching value of this practice?

  1. It replaces the need for any goal or plan
  2. It guarantees the client will increase walking volume each week
  3. It measures the client's genetic capacity for aerobic exercise
  4. It creates a record that raises awareness of actual behavior and supports accountability Correct answer.

Explanation

Self-monitoring works mainly by increasing awareness of current behavior and creating material for reflection with the coach. It supports accountability but does not by itself guarantee progress or replace planning.

Question 28Behavior Change Coaching

A client says, "I want to get stronger, but I have no idea how to use the machines safely." Which need is most clearly unmet?

  1. Identity
  2. Relatedness
  3. Competence Correct answer.
  4. Autonomy

Explanation

Competence refers to feeling effective and capable of performing the behavior. Not knowing how to use equipment safely reflects a gap in perceived capability. Relatedness concerns connection with others, and autonomy concerns volition and choice.

Question 29Behavior Change Coaching

Which coach statement best demonstrates simple reflection?

  1. "You should try training in the morning instead."
  2. "Research shows consistency matters more than intensity."
  3. "You're feeling frustrated that progress has been slower than you hoped." Correct answer.
  4. "Why do you think you keep missing sessions?"

Explanation

A simple reflection restates the essence of what the client communicated, especially the feeling content, without adding advice or questions. It signals that the coach heard the client. Questions, advice, and information are different coaching tools.

Question 30Behavior Change Coaching

A client has decided to start walking at lunch and has scheduled it in their calendar for the next two weeks. Which stage of change does this best represent?

  1. Contemplation
  2. Precontemplation
  3. Preparation Correct answer.
  4. Maintenance

Explanation

Preparation is marked by concrete planning and small steps toward action within the near future. Scheduling specific sessions is a hallmark of preparation. Contemplation involves ambivalence without a committed plan, and maintenance applies to sustained change over time.

Question 31Behavior Change Coaching

Which outcome is the best example of a behavioral (process) measure a coach can track weekly?

  1. Resting heart rate
  2. Body fat percentage
  3. Number of sessions attended Correct answer.
  4. Waist circumference

Explanation

Behavioral measures count actions the client performs, such as sessions attended, and respond directly to coaching. Body composition and physiological markers are outcome measures that change more slowly and are influenced by many factors.

Question 32Behavior Change Coaching

What is the primary purpose of a behavioral contract in coaching?

  1. To legally bind the client to continue paying for sessions
  2. To transfer responsibility for results from the client to the coach
  3. To clarify the specific actions the client commits to and the supports in place Correct answer.
  4. To document the coach's credentials for the client's file

Explanation

A behavioral contract states the client's agreed actions and the supports or contingencies around them, strengthening commitment. It is a planning and accountability tool, not a legal or financial instrument, and responsibility remains with the client.

Question 33Behavior Change Coaching

A client mentions they feel more confident exercising when a coach watches and gives pointers. Which source of self-efficacy does this illustrate?

  1. Verbal persuasion Correct answer.
  2. Physiological state
  3. Vicarious experience
  4. Past mastery experience

Explanation

Verbal persuasion is encouragement and feedback from a credible source that raises confidence. A coach's pointers and reassurance fit this source. Vicarious experience comes from watching similar others succeed, and mastery experience comes from the client's own past success.

Question 34Behavior Change Coaching

A client reports they want to reduce evening screen time but keeps scrolling until midnight. Using a stimulus control approach, what should the coach help the client do first?

  1. Punish each instance of late scrolling with extra exercise
  2. Change cues in the environment, such as charging the phone outside the bedroom Correct answer.
  3. Increase willpower through repeated reminders to stop
  4. Analyze childhood reasons for late-night phone use

Explanation

Stimulus control changes environmental cues that trigger the behavior, making the desired behavior easier and the unwanted one harder. Moving the phone removes the cue and access at the critical moment. Willpower appeals and punishment are not stimulus control strategies.

Question 35Behavior Change Coaching

A client has mastered a small first step and now needs a slightly harder version of the same activity to keep progressing. Which principle does this describe?

  1. Negative reinforcement
  2. Extinction of the target behavior
  3. Progressive shaping toward the target behavior Correct answer.
  4. Relapse prevention

Explanation

Shaping reinforces successive approximations, gradually raising the demand as the client succeeds. Increasing difficulty after mastery is the essence of shaping. Extinction is the fading of a behavior when reinforcement stops, and negative reinforcement removes an aversive stimulus to increase behavior.

Question 36Behavior Change Coaching

A client says, "Part of me wants to sign up for the 5K, and part of me thinks it's pointless." Which coaching response best fits motivational interviewing?

  1. "Let's set aside the doubts and focus only on the positives."
  2. "You see reasons to do it and reasons to hold back. Tell me more about both." Correct answer.
  3. "Why are you so conflicted about something so simple?"
  4. "Signing up is clearly the right choice, so just do it."

Explanation

Motivational interviewing uses reflections that acknowledge both sides of ambivalence, which lowers defensiveness and invites exploration. Avoiding argument and not suppressing the client's concerns are core to the approach. Directive pressure or dismissive questions tend to increase resistance.

Question 37Behavior Change Coaching

A client who values independence bristles at being told exactly what to do each session. Which coaching adjustment best supports autonomy?

  1. Give the same detailed instructions but explain the rationale
  2. Offer two or three viable options and let the client choose Correct answer.
  3. Set the plan yourself and check in more frequently
  4. Reduce the number of sessions until compliance improves

Explanation

Autonomy support means providing meaningful choice within appropriate boundaries, which fits a client who values independence. Explaining rationale helps but still leaves the client without choice. Reducing contact or tightening control does not address the underlying need.

Question 38Behavior Change Coaching

A client tends to give up quickly when exercise feels uncomfortable. Which coaching approach best builds tolerance for discomfort?

  1. Increase intensity sharply so the client learns to endure it
  2. Advise the client to avoid any activity that produces discomfort
  3. Help the client reframe discomfort as a normal part of adaptation and set small, achievable challenges Correct answer.
  4. Tell the client that discomfort means they are not ready to change

Explanation

Reframing normal discomfort as expected and pairing it with achievable challenges builds coping and confidence over time. Avoidance prevents learning, and abrupt overload or discouraging messages undermine self-efficacy.

Question 39Behavior Change Coaching

A client keeps a food and mood log and notices they snack most on stressful afternoons. What is the most useful next coaching step?

  1. Remove all snacks from the house permanently
  2. Use the pattern to identify a substitute coping strategy for high-stress afternoons Correct answer.
  3. Recommend the client stop logging because it reveals problems
  4. Tell the client to stop feeling stressed before changing eating habits

Explanation

Self-monitoring is valuable when its patterns guide a targeted plan, such as a substitute coping response for a high-risk time. The log is a tool for insight and planning. Removing logging or demanding emotional change first does not use the data productively.

Question 40Behavior Change Coaching

A client says, "I've tried everything and nothing works." Which response best reflects a strengths-based coaching stance?

  1. "Let's start over with a completely new program."
  2. "You've kept trying through a lot of setbacks. What has helped even a little?" Correct answer.
  3. "Maybe behavior change just isn't realistic for you."
  4. "You probably haven't tried hard enough."

Explanation

A strengths-based stance notices persistence and past partial successes and uses them as building blocks. It avoids blame and defeatism. Starting over ignores existing assets, and blaming or discouraging the client undermines self-efficacy.

Question 41Behavior Change Coaching

A client's confidence to exercise at home is high, but confidence to exercise at a crowded gym is low. What does this pattern best illustrate?

  1. Low confidence in one setting predicts low confidence everywhere
  2. Self-efficacy is a fixed personality trait
  3. High confidence in one setting guarantees confidence in all settings
  4. Self-efficacy is behavior- and context-specific Correct answer.

Explanation

Self-efficacy is task- and situation-specific, so a client can feel capable in one setting and doubtful in another. This specificity is why coaches assess confidence for the exact behavior and context. It is not a global trait.

Question 42Behavior Change Coaching

A coach wants to strengthen a client's commitment to a new routine. Which approach uses implementation intentions correctly?

  1. Have the client sign a contract promising to try harder
  2. Have the client list all the barriers that could arise
  3. Have the client state, "I really want to get healthier someday."
  4. Have the client state, "After work on Tuesdays I will walk for 20 minutes in the park." Correct answer.

Explanation

Implementation intentions specify the cue (when and where) and the response (the behavior), creating a mental link that supports follow-through. General wishes, barrier lists, and vague promises lack the cue-response structure.

Question 43Behavior Change Coaching

A client wants to eat more vegetables but says the produce in the fridge spoils before they use it. Which strategy best addresses this barrier?

  1. Buy more vegetables so there is always a supply
  2. Rely on motivation to eat them before they spoil
  3. Avoid buying vegetables until the client feels ready
  4. Plan a weekly shopping list tied to specific meals and prep vegetables soon after purchase Correct answer.

Explanation

Barrier-focused planning targets the specific obstacle by aligning purchasing with planned meals and reducing spoilage through prep. Effective coping plans are concrete and address the identified problem. Buying more without a plan or waiting for readiness does not solve it.

Question 44Behavior Change Coaching

A client has high confidence about exercising but low confidence about meal planning. How should the coach interpret and use this profile?

  1. Conclude the client is not ready to change anything
  2. Assume the client will manage meal planning without support
  3. Focus only on exercise because confidence there is high
  4. Tailor support to the weaker area while leveraging confidence from the stronger area Correct answer.

Explanation

Confidence profiles guide where support is most needed and which strengths can be borrowed. Targeting the weaker area while using existing confidence as a resource is a tailored approach. Assuming, focusing only on strengths, or concluding unreadiness misuses the information.

Question 45Behavior Change Coaching

Which coach statement best reflects the decisional balance technique?

  1. "I'll decide for you since you're unsure."
  2. "Let's ignore the downsides and focus on the benefits."
  3. "You need to commit fully before we discuss anything else."
  4. "What are the best things about your current routine, and what are the downsides?" Correct answer.

Explanation

Decisional balance systematically explores the pros and cons of both changing and staying the same, which clarifies ambivalence. Suppressing one side, deciding for the client, or demanding commitment bypasses that exploration.

Question 46Behavior Change Coaching

A client says, "I'll start exercising once work calms down." What is the most useful coaching response?

  1. "What would a realistic version look like during a busy week?" Correct answer.
  2. "Work will never calm down, so that's an excuse."
  3. "Just commit to two hours a day regardless of work."
  4. "That makes sense, so let's wait until work calms down."

Explanation

Helping the client design a realistic minimum that fits a busy period prevents indefinite delay and builds flexibility. Agreeing to wait reinforces postponement, and confronting or demanding excessive time damages rapport and feasibility.

Question 47Behavior Change Coaching

A client has been consistent for months and then stops attending for two weeks without explanation. Which interpretation is most consistent with a relapse-prevention perspective?

  1. The client has failed permanently and the plan should be abandoned
  2. The client never really wanted to change
  3. The coach should impose stricter rules to prevent another lapse
  4. A lapse can signal a high-risk situation and is best met with curiosity and re-engagement Correct answer.

Explanation

A lapse is a common event in behavior change and is most usefully treated as information about high-risk situations rather than as failure. Curious re-engagement preserves the relationship and supports resumption. Abandonment, blame, and tightening control tend to be counterproductive.

Question 48Behavior Change Coaching

A client says, "I know I should train, but I don't really care about it. My doctor says I have to." According to self-determination theory, what is the most likely quality of this motivation?

  1. Intrinsic motivation, because the client values training itself
  2. Integrated regulation, because the behavior fits the client's values
  3. Controlled motivation, because the behavior is driven by external pressure Correct answer.
  4. Amotivation, because the client has no reason at all

Explanation

Acting to satisfy an external demand reflects controlled motivation, which tends to be less durable than autonomous forms. The client does have a reason, so amotivation does not fit. Intrinsic and integrated motivation require genuine personal value or enjoyment.

Question 49Behavior Change Coaching

A client consistently agrees with every suggestion but never follows through. Which coaching response best addresses this pattern?

  1. Interpret the pattern as laziness and set firmer expectations
  2. Slow down, invite the client's own ideas, and check genuine commitment before planning Correct answer.
  3. Add more detailed instructions so the client knows exactly what to do
  4. End coaching because the client is not a good fit

Explanation

Compliant agreement with no follow-through often reflects low ownership or unspoken ambivalence. Eliciting the client's own ideas and testing real commitment supports autonomy and honest dialogue. More directives, blame, or termination do not address the underlying pattern.

Question 50Behavior Change Coaching

A coach uses a token system in which the client earns points for completed sessions that can be exchanged for small rewards. Which behavioral principle does this apply?

  1. Extinction of the target behavior
  2. Punishment through response cost
  3. Positive reinforcement through a conditioned reinforcer Correct answer.
  4. Habituation to exercise

Explanation

Tokens are conditioned reinforcers exchanged for backup rewards, which increases the likelihood of the reinforced behavior. This is positive reinforcement. Punishment, extinction, and habituation describe different processes.