you?’
‘Sure,’ James nodded enthusiastically. ‘Next Saturday.’
‘Maybe even sooner,’ Elliot said. ‘You could come by with your mother when she attends our single parents’ group on Wednesday.’
‘I guess,’ Lauren smiled. ‘Maybe my big sister can come too.’
The Survivors headed back indoors, waving as Abigail switched on the engine, while James and Lauren belted up in the back.
‘That was fun,’ Lauren said.
‘I think the mission’s going well,’ Abigail said.
James realised that he’d been playing sport and chanting with the Survivors all night and hadn’t considered the mission for over an hour.
He looked anxiously at his sister. ‘I think we might have enjoyed ourselves a bit too much in there.’
‘Eh?’ Lauren said, as she wiped her shining forehead on the sleeve of her T-shirt.
‘I actually want to go back in there and do that again,’ James explained. ‘With the grinning girls, and everyone touching me and paying me heaps of attention. It felt really nice.’
Lauren realised what her brother was getting at. ‘We knew how it worked. We read all the books and that, but we still fell for it.’
Abigail looked between the front seats at her two passengers. ‘Are you kids saying what I think you’re saying?’
James rubbed his eyes and looked ashamed of himself. ‘It was like falling under a spell.’
15. CONTEXT
Abigail was concerned at the way the kids had lost their objectivity and been lured by the Survivors within hours of entering the commune. She’d also enjoyed her evening with the charming Elliot.
She phoned John first thing Sunday morning and he called the psychologist Miriam Longford for advice. Miriam was arranging a family lunch, but she agreed to speak with Abigail and the kids provided they drove out to her home near the university campus on the opposite side of the city.
A red setter greeted them on the driveway. James’ hand got a warm lick as he clambered out of the car. Miriam’s young nieces and nephews chased around and splashed in her pool, as she led Abigail and the three cherubs to a muggy double garage. The cars had been pulled out and she’d set some stackable picnic chairs into a circle. It wasn’t ideal, but it was private and the rest of her home crawled with relatives.
Abigail explained what had happened over the previous forty-eight hours, from Lauren lashing out in class and getting sent to the student counsellor, to their visit to the Survivor commune the night before.
‘OK,’ Miriam smiled. ‘It’s understandable that you’re worried by the rush of positive feeling you experienced last night, but I think it will turn out to be a good thing, because it’s given you a warning about the power mind-control techniques can have over people who let down their guard.
‘It’s all to do with the power of context. Have any of you ever heard of something called the Elevator Door Experiment ?’
Everyone shook their heads, so Miriam began to explain. ‘A person getting into an elevator will always stand facing the door, so that they can see what is going on and know when it’s time to get out. However, what happens if a person gets in and finds that there are several other people already in the elevator facing away from the door?’
‘Oh, I’ve seen this now that you’ve said it,’ Abigail said. ‘If the other people in the elevator are all facing away from the door, then the person getting into the elevator will usually do the same.’
‘That’s it,’ Miriam nodded. ‘People think they have free will, but there is actually a strong tendency for individuals to behave in the same way as those around them.’
‘Like peer pressure at school,’ Lauren said.
Miriam nodded. ‘That’s a very good example, Lauren. If you’re at school and all your friends smoke cigarettes, the chances are that you’ll start smoking cigarettes too. I’ve been inside that gymnasium you were at last night. Do you remember the
‘Sure,’ James nodded enthusiastically. ‘Next Saturday.’
‘Maybe even sooner,’ Elliot said. ‘You could come by with your mother when she attends our single parents’ group on Wednesday.’
‘I guess,’ Lauren smiled. ‘Maybe my big sister can come too.’
The Survivors headed back indoors, waving as Abigail switched on the engine, while James and Lauren belted up in the back.
‘That was fun,’ Lauren said.
‘I think the mission’s going well,’ Abigail said.
James realised that he’d been playing sport and chanting with the Survivors all night and hadn’t considered the mission for over an hour.
He looked anxiously at his sister. ‘I think we might have enjoyed ourselves a bit too much in there.’
‘Eh?’ Lauren said, as she wiped her shining forehead on the sleeve of her T-shirt.
‘I actually want to go back in there and do that again,’ James explained. ‘With the grinning girls, and everyone touching me and paying me heaps of attention. It felt really nice.’
Lauren realised what her brother was getting at. ‘We knew how it worked. We read all the books and that, but we still fell for it.’
Abigail looked between the front seats at her two passengers. ‘Are you kids saying what I think you’re saying?’
James rubbed his eyes and looked ashamed of himself. ‘It was like falling under a spell.’
15. CONTEXT
Abigail was concerned at the way the kids had lost their objectivity and been lured by the Survivors within hours of entering the commune. She’d also enjoyed her evening with the charming Elliot.
She phoned John first thing Sunday morning and he called the psychologist Miriam Longford for advice. Miriam was arranging a family lunch, but she agreed to speak with Abigail and the kids provided they drove out to her home near the university campus on the opposite side of the city.
A red setter greeted them on the driveway. James’ hand got a warm lick as he clambered out of the car. Miriam’s young nieces and nephews chased around and splashed in her pool, as she led Abigail and the three cherubs to a muggy double garage. The cars had been pulled out and she’d set some stackable picnic chairs into a circle. It wasn’t ideal, but it was private and the rest of her home crawled with relatives.
Abigail explained what had happened over the previous forty-eight hours, from Lauren lashing out in class and getting sent to the student counsellor, to their visit to the Survivor commune the night before.
‘OK,’ Miriam smiled. ‘It’s understandable that you’re worried by the rush of positive feeling you experienced last night, but I think it will turn out to be a good thing, because it’s given you a warning about the power mind-control techniques can have over people who let down their guard.
‘It’s all to do with the power of context. Have any of you ever heard of something called the Elevator Door Experiment ?’
Everyone shook their heads, so Miriam began to explain. ‘A person getting into an elevator will always stand facing the door, so that they can see what is going on and know when it’s time to get out. However, what happens if a person gets in and finds that there are several other people already in the elevator facing away from the door?’
‘Oh, I’ve seen this now that you’ve said it,’ Abigail said. ‘If the other people in the elevator are all facing away from the door, then the person getting into the elevator will usually do the same.’
‘That’s it,’ Miriam nodded. ‘People think they have free will, but there is actually a strong tendency for individuals to behave in the same way as those around them.’
‘Like peer pressure at school,’ Lauren said.
Miriam nodded. ‘That’s a very good example, Lauren. If you’re at school and all your friends smoke cigarettes, the chances are that you’ll start smoking cigarettes too. I’ve been inside that gymnasium you were at last night. Do you remember the
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