Application of Bandura’s Social Learning theory to care settings
Bandura’s modification of behaviour
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Reward any positive behaviour that this role model carries out. The child is then more likely to copy behaviours which are
rewarded.
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Try to ensure that the role model’s behaviour is noticeable, that your rewards are noticeable and that the behaviours can be
easily copied.
an appropriate role model. This role model will be a more effective if the child sees them as:
someone with similar values
more powerful
warm and loving
liked and respected
Provision for needs to be met in
early years settings
Provision for needs to be met in
Day care settings
Provision for needs to be met in
Residential and nursing homes
Early years workers are often role models
for children so should lead by example
e.g. the language they use between each
other will be imitated. Research shows
that children imitate vocab and accent as
Personal support, supervision, advice,
chiropody, aids and adaptations, meals.
Day care centres encourage independence
in personal hygiene and the SLT can be
applied here e.g. a service user says that
they are able to shower themselves today
to the care worker and gets praised for this
Certain powerful residents can encourage
anti-social behaviour through SLT e.g. a
popular male resident flirts with the nurses
so other residents start to do it e.g. a
resident is bulling another resident and
well as actual words.
by the care worker. Another service user is
watching this and when it is his turn for a
shower he says ‘actually I think I can do it
myself today’
some residents begin to imitate the bully
and join in.
The way the early years workers eat their
lunch is likely to be imitated by the
children therefore they should display
good table manners i.e. eating with
mouth closed, knife and fork in correct
hands.
EYW’s need to be trained to provide
reinforcement via praise for good
behaviour. When children see their
friends being reinforced for good
behaviour, they are likely to copy that
good behaviour too.
At day care centres intellectual stimulation
is encouraged. SLT can be applied here
e.g. the carers sit down to play chess.
Service users see this and start their own
chess group.
SLT can be applied to pro-social behaviour
e.g. residents in lounge A always share the
remote, so residents in lounge B start to do
this too.
Physiotherapy takes place in day care
centres and e.g. of SLT can be applied here
– Fred and Bert both have arthritis. One is
having physiotherapy for the condition and
one isn’t. Fred’s arthritis is getting better
and Bert can see this, so Bert now decided
to have physiotherapy.
One of the services that is provided by a
day care centre is advice giving. An
example of this within the SLT is: a service
user is stubborn and has problems with
money, which makes him very worried and
not nice to be around. He agrees to get
help with this and over a period of time
everyone can see a substantial difference
in his behaviour – showing happiness and
being friendlier. One of his friends sees
how much happier he is and decides to
seek advice for his own financial matters.
At day centres advice is given. An example
of the SLT here would be Mary tells her
A service user may act aggressive towards
the care worker due to previous experience
of visiting their parent/s in a home where
they were also aggressive towards the care
worker which helped them get what they
wanted
When a child behaves poorly in the
setting an EYW must deal with it
appropriately i.e. negative punishment –
time out on a chair. They cannot ignore
this otherwise other children will imitate
the bad behaviour because they feel they
will not get told off for it by the EYW.
A child is most likely to copy someone
with similar values, someone who is more
If a service user is in a home where a lot of
the other service users acted in a particular
manner e.g. depressed/angry/happy then
they may model this behaviour.
One of the elderly ladies has a routine of
changing the sheets that she still carries
powerful than them, someone who is
warm and loving and someone who is
liked and respected. In short, a child will
copy someone who they admire and want
to be like.
friend Ann about seeking advice today
about her financial problems. Ann also has
financial problems and therefore suggests
to Mary that she also wants to seek
financial advice and therefore asks to go
with her.
Barbara may come into the day care centre
and say that she is going to see the
chiropodist about some problems with her
feet. Elizabeth overhears this and decided
to go along with Barbara because she also
has problems with her feet.
Bandura would say that if a child
observes behaviour of another child who,
for example, generally shares well and
takes turns they will notice that this
behaviour is rewarded by being popular.
The child will then copy this behaviour
and in turn will internalise it and it will
then take on that behaviour as normal.
over from being at home. Therefore she
always takes off her dirty sheets before the
maid comes round in order to help her out.
As a result of this, the maid chats to her
and smiles. The lady across the hall sees
this and decides to do the same as she has
never been talked to by the maid before.