do you think it's possible to control
someone's attention even more than that
what about predicting human behavior I
think those are interesting ideas if you
could I mean for me that'd be the
perfect superpower
actually kind of a evil way of
approaching it but for myself in the
past I've spent the last 20 years
setting human behavior from a rather
unorthodox way picking pockets when we
think of misdirection we think if
something is looking off to the side
when actually it's often that things are
right in front of us there are hardest
things to see the things that you look
at every day that you're blinded to for
example how many of you still have your
cell phones on you right now great
double check make sure you still have
them on you always doing some shopping
beforehand now you've looked at and
probably a few times a day but i'ma ask
you a question about it without looking
at your cell phone directly yet can you
remember the icon in the bottom right
corner bring them out check and see how
accurate you were how'd you do sure I
hands did we get it now that you're done
looking at those close them down because
every phone has something in common no
matter how you organize the icons you
still have a clock on the front so
without looking at your phone what time
was it you just looked at your clock
right it's an interesting idea now I'll
ask you to take that step further with a
game of trust close your eyes okay I
realize I'm asking you to do that while
you just heard there's a pickpocket in
the room but close your eyes now you've
been watching me for about 30 seconds
with your eyes closed what am I wearing
make your best guess what color is my
shirt what color is my tie now open your
eyes
by showing hands where you write it's
interesting isn't it some of us are a
little bit more perceptive than others
it seems that way but I have a different
theory about that that model of
attention they have fancy models of
attention Posner trendy model of
attention for me I like to think of it
very simple like a surveillance system
it's kind of like you have all these
fancy sentries and inside your brain is
a little security guard for me I like to
call him Frank
so Frank
is sitting at a desk he's got all sorts
of cool information in front of him
high-tech equipment he's got cameras
he's got a little phone they can pick up
listen to the ears all these senses all
these perceptions but attention is what
steers your perceptions is what controls
your reality it's the Gateway to the
mind if you don't attend to something
you can't be aware of it but ironically
you can attend to something without
being aware of it that's why there's the
cocktail effect we ran a party you're
having conversations with someone and
yet you can recognize your name and you
didn't even realize you were listening
to that now for my job I have to play
with techniques to exploit this to play
with your attention as a limited
resource so if I could control how you
spend your attention if I could maybe
steal your attention through a
distraction now instead of doing it like
misdirection and throwing off to the
side instead why choose a focus on is
Frank to be able to play with the Frank
inside your head you're a little
security guard and get you instead of
focusing on your external senses just to
go internal for a second so if I ask you
to access a memory like what is that
what just happened do you have a wallet
you have an American Express in your
wallet and when I do that your Frank
turns around he accesses the file he has
to rewind the tape and what's
interesting is he can't rewind the tape
at the same time they is trying to
process new data I mean this sounds like
a good theory but I could talk for a
long time and tell you lots of things
and they may be true portion of them but
I think it's better if I try to show
that to you here live so if I come down
I'm gonna do a little bit of shopping
just hold still where you are hello how
are you it's lovely to see you
you did a wonderful job on stage you
have a lovely watch that doesn't come
off very well do you have your ring as
well good just taking inventory you're
like a buffet it's hard to tell where to
start there's so many great things hi
how are you good to see you alright sir
could you stand up for me please just
right where you are yo you're married
your father directions well that's nice
to meet you sir you don't have a whole
lot inside your pockets anything down by
the pocket over here hopefully so have a
seat there you go you're doing well hi
sir how are you
good to see you sir you have a ring a
watch do you have a wallet on you well
we'll find one for you come on up this
way Joe give Joe a round of applause
come on up Joe mcquigg in
[Music]
pardon me don't think that he need this
clicker anymore you can have that thank
you very much appreciate that come on up
to the stage Joe let's play a little
game now do you have anything in your
front pockets money all right let's try
that can you stand right over this way
for me turn around and let's see if I
give you something that belongs to me
this is just something uh
a half poker chip hold out your hand for
me watch it kind of close now this is a
task for you to focus on now you have
your money in your front pocket here
good I'm not gonna actually put my hand
in your pocket I'm not ready for that
kind of commitment one time a guy had a
hole in his pocket that was really
traumatizing
nice looking for his wallet he gave me
his phone numbers a big miscommunication
so let's do this simply squeeze your
hand squeeze it tight do you feel the
poker chip in your hand would you be
surprised if I could take it out of your
hand say yes good
open your hand thank you very much I'll
cheat if you give me a chance make it
harder for me just use your hand grab my
wrist but squeeze squeeze firm did you
see it go
that was not here open your hand see
while we're focused on the hand it's
sitting on your shoulder right now let's
go and take it off yeah let's try that
again hold your hand out flat open up
all the way put your hand up a little
bit higher but watch it close there Joe
see if I did slowly it'd be back on your
shoulder
joke we're gonna keep doing this so you
catch it you're gonna get eventually
here I have faith in you squeeze firm
squeeze you're human you're not slow
it's back on your shoulder you're
focused on your hand that's why you were
distracted while you're watching this I
couldn't quite get your watch off it was
difficult yet you had something inside
your front pocket do you remember what
it was
check your pocket see if it's still
there is it still there oh that's where
it was go ahead and put it away we're
just shopping this tricks more about the
timing really I'm gonna try to push it
inside your hand put your other hand on
top for me would you
it's amazingly obvious now isn't it
looks like a lot like the watch I was
wearing doesn't it Thanks
it's only a start let's try it again a
little bit differently hold your hands
together put your other hand on top now
if you're watching this little token
this obvious has become a little target
it's like a red herring if we watch this
kind of close it looks like it goes away
it's not back on your shoulder it falls
out of the air lands right back in the
hand did you see it go it's fine got a
little guy he's Union he works up there
all day if I did slowly go straight away
it lands down by your pocket I believe
is it in this pocket sir no don't reach
in your pocket that's a different show
sorry is that's rather strange they have
shots for that yeah sure what that is
this where they're bizarre is this yours
sir you have no idea how that works
we'll just send that over there that's
great I need help with this one step
over this way for me now don't run away
you had something down while your pants
pocket I was checking mine I couldn't
find everything but I noticed you had
something here
I feel the outside of your pocket for a
moment down here I noticed this is this
something of your serious I had no idea
that's a shrimp you've entertained all
these people in wonderful way better
than you know so we'd love to give you
this lovely watch as a gift
hopefully matches his taste but also we
have a couple of other things a little
bit of cash and then we have a few other
things these all belong to you along
with a big round of applause from all
your friends Joe thank you very much
[Music]
so same question I asked you to be
before but this time you don't have to
close your eyes what am I wearing
attention is a powerful thing like I
said it shapes your reality so I guess
I'd like to pose that question to you if
you control somebody's attention what
would you do with it
thank you
[Applause]
[Music]