20.13 Places and Audience Control
Places where verbal behavior has often been reinforced may increase the likelihood that any type of verbal behavior will be reinforced. We see an increase in the level of verbal behavior when people enter the lobby of a theater after a movie or play. The inside of the theater is a negative audience and the level of verbal behavior, even when there is nothing on the stage or screen, is usually considerably lower than in the lobby.
Audience
A type of controlling variable with the following features:
The audience is usually a listener in the presence of whom verbal behavior is typically reinforced
It controls a group of response forms
Whether or not the listener provides reinforcement for the current response
The size or specific nature of the response forms controlled