38.1 Tacts Benefit the Listener

It was pointed out earlier that the tact relationship primarily benefits the listener. This benefit is greatest when the form of the tact is primarily controlled by a non-verbal stimulus in the environment. Often, however, a second variable may partially control the form of the response. Although the verbal community typically provides some form of generalized conditioned reinforcement for the tact in order to free it from specific states of deprivation or aversive stimulation, certain aspects of generalized conditioned reinforcement can enter into the controlling relationship, too.