A case manager at a day program for chronically mentally ill clients who live in group homes often is late in picking up clients. When his supervisor questions lateness, he says it is good for clients to be more 'laid back' and learn to deal with frustration. According to Social-learning theory, this pattern would teach clients that:

• A. The clients are also likely to learn that it is acceptable to be late on the job.
• B. They should always be punctual.
• C. They should avoid getting frustrated.
• D. The agency supports tardiness.

Answer: (A)

Social-learning theory shows that people learn by watching others and the consequences of their actions. If staff model lateness and frame it as beneficial for clients—being laid back and learning to deal with frustration—clients will pick up that this behavior is acceptable and may imitate it. The supervisor’s tolerance signals to clients that being late is not penalized, so they learn a norm that lateness is permissible. In this view, the observed behavior and its perceived acceptance teach the belief that being late on the job is okay.

This fits less well with the other ideas. The situation doesn’t promote punctuality as the norm, nor does it teach avoidance of frustration as the main lesson, and it’s more about the implicit message of acceptance of tardiness than an explicit organizational policy.