Experimenter

Eichmann didn't deny his crimes, 526 00:33:31,843 --> 00:33:34,011 showed no trace of guilt or remorse. 527 00:33:34,887 --> 00:33:36,638 Said he was merely a transmitter. 528 00:33:37,348 --> 00:33:39,391 "I never did anything great or small 529 00:33:39,559 --> 00:33:43,186 without express instructions from my superiors." 530 00:33:50,111 --> 00:33:54,239 The cradle rocks above an abyss and common sense tells us 531 00:33:54,407 --> 00:33:57,909 that our existence is but a brief crack of light between 532 00:33:58,077 --> 00:34:00,162 two eternities of darkness. 533 00:34:08,129 --> 00:34:10,630 Let me out of here! Hey, that really hurts! 534 00:34:10,798 --> 00:34:12,799 I told you, I have a heart condition! 535 00:34:12,967 --> 00:34:15,302 I will not be in this experiment anymore! 536 00:34:15,470 --> 00:34:17,512 Ow! Let me out. 537 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:19,681 Let me outta here! Let me out! 538 00:34:19,849 --> 00:34:23,268 Let... me... out... of here. 539 00:34:24,145 --> 00:34:28,440 ♪ I will no longer be here ♪ 540 00:34:32,028 --> 00:34:34,529 Ah, hey, Stanley, a nice day to wrap up 541 00:34:34,697 --> 00:34:37,741 - the new obedience experiment. - Yeah, yeah. 542 00:34:39,911 --> 00:34:41,161 Hmm. 543 00:34:43,706 --> 00:34:47,584 I should tell you about Asch. Solomon E. Asch. 544 00:34:47,752 --> 00:34:50,879 He oversaw my thesis at Harvard, and I worked for him, 545 00:34:51,047 --> 00:34:52,756 diligently and miserably, 546 00:34:52,924 --> 00:34:55,759 at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. 547 00:34:57,011 --> 00:34:59,638 Asch did the thing with the lines, right? 548 00:34:59,806 --> 00:35:01,223 About a dozen years ago. 549 00:35:01,390 --> 00:35:05,352 The study you are taking part in today involves the perception 550 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:07,687 of the lengths of lines. 551 00:35:08,106 --> 00:35:11,108 As you can see, there are a number of cards, 552 00:35:11,275 --> 00:35:14,152 and on each card there are several lines. 553 00:35:14,946 --> 00:35:17,239 Your task is a very simple one. 554 00:35:17,406 --> 00:35:20,617 You're to look at the line on the left and determine which of 555 00:35:20,785 --> 00:35:23,912 the three lines on the right is equal to it in length. 556 00:35:25,915 --> 00:35:28,875 This is a recreation from a film I made in the 70's. 557 00:35:29,043 --> 00:35:31,628 Five of the six participants are confederates. 558 00:35:31,796 --> 00:35:34,840 The single true subject in the white T- shirt 559 00:35:35,007 --> 00:35:38,510 hears everyone else's answers before announcing his decision. 560 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:40,804 - Two. - Two. 561 00:35:41,097 --> 00:35:42,681 - Two. - Two. 562 00:35:42,849 --> 00:35:43,849 Two. 563 00:35:44,016 --> 00:35:47,561 Very good. Let's move onto the next card. Same thing, gentlemen. 564 00:35:47,728 --> 00:35:50,063 - Three. - Three. 565 00:35:50,690 --> 00:35:52,774 - Three. - Three. 566 00:35:52,942 --> 00:35:55,902 After the first few rounds, members of the group 567 00:35:56,070 --> 00:35:57,487 choose the wrong line. 568 00:35:57,655 --> 00:35:59,739 - Two. - Two. 569 00:35:59,907 --> 00:36:02,701 The subject denies the evidence of his own eyes 570 00:36:03,369 --> 00:36:05,162 and yields to group influence. 571 00:36:05,329 --> 00:36:06,580 Two. 572 00:36:07,248 --> 00:36:09,082 Very good. Thank you. 573 00:36:09,834 --> 00:36:11,459 In the language of social science, the experiment 574 00:36:11,627 --> 00:36:14,546 was known as "The Effect of Group Pressure Upon the Modification 575 00:36:14,714 --> 00:36:18,425 - and Distortion of Judgments." - Pff. Great title. 576 00:36:18,593 --> 00:36:19,968 It made Asch famous... 577 00:36:21,512 --> 00:36:22,971 amongst social scientists. 578 00:36:35,818 --> 00:36:38,904 It always bothered me that the experiment was about lines. 579 00:36:39,071 --> 00:36:41,364 I wanted to do something more humanly significant. 580 00:36:47,538 --> 00:36:49,247 He hears the bell. 581 00:36:49,749 --> 00:36:51,750 Stanley, it's so good to see you. 582 00:36:51,918 --> 00:36:55,170 - Hi. Nice to meet you. - This is Sasha. 583 00:36:55,338 --> 00:36:58,590 Sasha, how are you? So lovely to see you. Come in. 584 00:36:58,758 --> 00:36:59,841 - Stanley - How are you? 585 00:37:00,009 --> 00:37:01,134 Glad you made it. 586 00:37:04,222 --> 00:37:07,474 Can we tell you what a miserable time I had working for Asch? 587 00:37:07,642 --> 00:37:11,770 Princeton, the bureaucracy, the institutional arrogance. 588 00:37:11,938 --> 00:37:14,773 Not permitted to use a scrap of paper without it becoming 589 00:37:15,024 --> 00:37:17,692 an issue to be settled behind closed doors. 590 00:37:20,238 --> 00:37:21,279 A candy bar in the office 591 00:37:21,447 --> 00:37:23,5