The audience has three different types of control. First, if a stimulus such as a dog evokes only the response “dog,” then the presence or absence of the audience determines the occurrence of the response in an all or none fashion.
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