Hilarious elevator fun. I’m assuming that this experiment was conducted by an old TV show called “Candid Camera.” The results remind me of Soloman Asch’s social psych experiments from the mid 50’s.
Actually you’ll see and feel the social pressures of riding an elevator most days, as people typically become silent during the ride.
I remember one of my psych professors in college talked about Candid Camera stunts as demonstrations of social psychology principles.
One of my favorite gags was from the ’60s. It’s a busy New York city diner during the lunch hour rush, a woman with a young boy (the boy appears to be 5 or 6) are sitting at the counter,woman on the left, boy on the right. The boy has apparently eaten everything on his plate except some asparagus.
Moments after another customer takes the stool to the right of the boy, the woman asks the stranger if he can “keep an eye” on her son while she goes to the ladies room.
While many refuse, a few agree, and each of those cases, as the “mother” leaves to the ladies room, she tells the “son” that she expects the asparagus to be gone when she gets back.
As soon as sge leaves,the boy turns to the stranger with a very sad expression says “I don’t like athparaguth.”
Most strangers try to get the boy yo eat the asparagus, but to no avail. One of the patrons stands out. When he sees the boy is not going to eat the vegetable, switches tactics. He distracts the boy to look away, and while the patron, a well dressed elderly man who speaks with a foreign accent, steals a bite of asparagus from the boys plate every time the boy looks away. Soon the asparagus is gone and the “mother” returns.
Seeing the empy plate, she starts asking the stranger if the boy ate the asparagus, or hid it somewhere. The strabger insists the boy ate to asparagus.
At this poiny, Allen Funt comes out from the kitchen, tells the stranger aboout candid camera, show him where the cameras are hidden. After good laugh, stranger identifies himself as a representative to the UN… From Russia.
Niklaus: Another classic also occurs at the diner counter. The candid camera stooge nonchalantly starts dipping his donut in an innocent customer’s coffee.