Listeners can have the same type of effect…we tend not to say certain things in the presence of listeners who have punished similar responses in the past, or who are similar to listeners who have punished certain types of verbal behavior in the past.
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