ACE Health Coach Certification Practice Test

What behavior-modification technique is demonstrated by keeping a grocery list to avoid non-listed items?

1. Behavioral processing

2. Decision-making

3. Stimulus control

4. Self-monitoring

The correct answer is: Stimulus control

The behavior-modification technique being demonstrated by keeping a grocery list to avoid purchasing items that are not on the list is stimulus control. This approach focuses on modifying the environment to encourage certain behaviors while discouraging others. By creating a grocery list, an individual is setting a clear guideline for what they should focus on while shopping. The list acts as a stimulus that prompts the shopper towards specific items, making it easier to ignore other potentially tempting products not included on the list. This strategy helps manage impulses and reduces the likelihood of making impulsive purchases, which aligns perfectly with the principles of stimulus control. It involves structuring the environment in a way that promotes desired behaviors and minimizes distractions, thereby helping achieve specific health or wellness goals. The other concepts, such as behavioral processing, decision-making, and self-monitoring, while related to behavior modification, do not specifically encapsulate the proactive environmental structuring that stimulus control entails.