Editing Isolation booth

{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
[[File:Blind taster booth 2 CR jeh.jpg|thumb|Isolation booth of a [[blind taste test]] lab]]
An  '''isolation booth''' is a cabinet used to prevent a person or people from seeing or hearing certain events, usually for television programs or for blind testing of products.

Its most visual use is on [[game show]]s, where an isolation booth (either portable or built into the show's set) is in use to prevent a contestant from hearing their competitor's answers, or in the case of ''[[Family Feud]]'', their fellow family member/friend's response to the "Fast Money" survey questions. Examples of the former include ''[[Twenty-One (game show)|Twenty-One]]'', ''[[Win Ben Stein's Money]]'', ''[[50 Grand Slam]]'', ''[[Raise the Roof (game show)|Raise the Roof]]'', ''[[The $64,000 Challenge]]'', ''[[Scrabble (game show)|Scrabble]]'', ''[[Whew!]]'', ''[[Solitary (TV series)|Solitary]]'' and ''[[Double Dare (1976 game show)|Double Dare]]'' (the 1976 version entitled as such unrelated to the children's game show). Another use is to prevent the audience from shouting the answer to them, as seen on ''[[The $64,000 Question]]'', ''[[The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime]]'', and ''[[Name That Tune]]''. 

Further measures may be taken to prevent the occupant from seeing/hearing anything that occurs outside the booth, such as a [[blindfold]] or [[sleep mask]], or headphones that play music or are equipped with [[active noise control|noise-cancelling technology]].

The isolation booth concept has been used for comic effect at times. One example is the "[[Cone of Silence (Get Smart)|Cone of Silence]]" used as a [[running gag]] on the comedy series ''[[Get Smart]]''. This was a clear plastic device that fitted over the heads of Maxwell Smart and the Chief, intended to let them discuss sensitive issues without being overheard, but which often malfunctioned. Another variation appeared on the game show ''[[Idiot Savants (game show)|Idiot Savants]]'', as the "Cylinder of Shush," a plastic tube lowered over the contestant's head that muffled the host's questions somewhat.

Isolation booths are also frequently used in audio recordings, with non-reflective walls, lined with [[acoustic foam]] that eliminate potential reverberations.

== Use as punishment ==
Some schools in the United Kingdom use "isolation booths" as a place of [[detention (school)|detention]], being a small room in which a disruptive child is forced to sit alone and in silence,<ref>{{cite news |title=Use of isolation booths in schools criticised as 'barbaric' punishment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/sep/02/barbaric-school-punishment-of-consequence-rooms-criticised-by-parents |access-date=22 August 2021 |work=the Guardian |date=2 September 2018 |language=en}}</ref> as part of a policy known as "occupy and ignore".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.centreforpeacefulsolutions.org/will-schools-ever-learn/ |title= Will schools ever learn? |date= April 15, 2019 |publisher= Centre for peaceful solutions}}</ref> In some cases, children have been punished in this manner for 22 hours in one week. In 2019, a child attempted suicide through overdosing, while confined to such a booth.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/apr/03/isolation-of-children-at-academies-prompts-legal-action  |title= Mother sues over daughter's suicide attempt in school isolation booth |date= April 15, 2019 |work= The Guardian}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Acoustic board]]
*[[Recording studio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isolation Booth}}
[[Category:Acoustics]]
[[Category:Sound technology]]
[[Category:Game shows]]


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