Compared to the other types of controlling variables we have examined, the audience controls a large group of responses rather than a specific response form. This is because the same audience may be present in a wide variety of situations in which virtually all of the other types of controlling variables are also present.
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