Abstract
In situations of proxy-agency, relational efficacies (e.g., proxy-efficacy, RISE beliefs, other efficacy) are theorized to impact self-efficacy (SE) and the effort expended in joint tasks. Personal trainers (PT) are proxy-agents and are in an interesting position balancing development of their clients' capabilities while also fostering a long-term commitment from clients. As such, they provide an important context in which to study relational efficacies and their impact on other variables. The purpose of this study was to examine (1) whether PT other-efficacy and client RISE beliefs contribute to client SE and (2) whether relational efficacies contribute to clients' decisions to continue the with their PT. PT and client pairs completed measures of relational and self-efficacies after sessions 1 and 5 of a 5-session block. Clients also reported intention to continue with their PT after session 5. Hierarchical regression showed PT other efficacy (R2ch=.22) and clients' RISE beliefs (R2ch=.17, ps< .04) to be separate significant predictors of clients' SE with both being positively associated with SE. A second model showed that after controlling for client SE, proxy-efficacy and RISE beliefs were additive predictors of clients' intentions to continue to work with their PT (R2ch=.49, p<.01). These initial findings are in line with theory and suggest that relational perceptions held by both the client and the PT impact important outcomes for both client and trainer.Acknowledgments: SSHRC grant 41020060927