The Milgram Experiment | THE HEIST | Derren Brown

Summary

In this thought-provoking experiment, participants are led to believe they're part of an academic study on learning and punishment, unknowingly reenacting Milgram's 1963 obedience study. They're tasked with administering escalating electric shocks to a 'learner' upon incorrect answers, under the directive of an authority figure. The true aim is to gauge their response to authority, revealing a startling willingness to continue to lethal levels, mirroring Milgram's findings. Four subjects are selected based on their behavior for a heist, raising questions about the nature of obedience and moral responsibility.

Takeaways

• 🎬 The script describes a staged 'heist' scenario where participants are led to believe they are part of a motivational seminar and academic research.
• 📚 It references the famous Milgram experiment from 1963, which explored how ordinary people could commit harmful acts under authority.
• 👥 The participants are middle management businessmen and women who are unknowingly part of a television show.
• 🔬 The setup involves a staged 'learning experiment' where participants act as 'teachers' and are told to administer electric shocks to a 'learner' for incorrect answers.
• 👨‍🏫 The 'scientist' in the experiment is an actor, and the 'learner' is also an actor pretending to receive electric shocks.
• 🔋 The 'teachers' are manipulated into believing the shocks are real, with the shocks escalating to a supposed lethal 450 volts.
• 🤔 The script highlights the ethical dilemmas and psychological pressure faced by participants when told to continue the experiment despite their discomfort.
• 📉 The script reveals that over 50% of the participants continued to the highest shock level, mirroring the results of the original Milgram experiment.
• 👩‍🏫 The selection of subjects for the heist is based on their behavior during the staged experiment, with some showing resourcefulness and others resistance.
• 🎉 The script concludes with the reveal to the participants that they were part of a television show and not actually causing harm.
• 🧠 The narrative serves as a commentary on human behavior, obedience to authority, and the power of social psychology experiments.

Q & A

What is the premise of the show 'The Heist'?

The show 'The Heist' is based on the concept of testing whether participants would commit a theft believing it to be part of a genuine academic research experiment, exploring the effects of punishment on learning.

What historical experiment is the show 'The Heist' reenacting?

The show 'The Heist' reenacts the Milgram experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram in 1963, which studied how normal people could commit atrocious acts simply because they were following orders.

Why was the Milgram experiment conducted?

The Milgram experiment was conducted to look at the nature of responsibility and obedience to authority, inspired by Milgram's parents being Jewish refugees during World War II.

How is the experiment in 'The Heist' set up?

In 'The Heist', participants are tricked into thinking they are part of an academic research experiment looking into the effects of punishment on learning, where they play the role of 'teachers' administering electric shocks to a 'learner'.

What is the role of the actor pretending to be another participant?

The actor pretending to be another participant, who is the 'learner', is part of the setup to deceive the real participants into believing the electric shocks are real and to gauge their reactions.

What is the purpose of the electric shocks in the experiment?

The electric shocks are not real; they are part of the deception to test the participants' willingness to administer what they believe are harmful shocks to the learner, based on the instructions of an authority figure.

What is the key question the experiment aims to answer?

The key question is whether the participants, acting as 'teachers', will continue to administer seemingly lethal electric shocks to the 'learner' simply because they are told to do so by a person in authority.

What was the prediction of psychologists before the original Milgram experiment?

Psychologists predicted that only 1/10th of 1% of participants would continue to the highest shock level in the original Milgram experiment.

What were the results of the experiment in 'The Heist'?

The results of 'The Heist' were almost identical to the original Milgram experiment, with over 50% of participants continuing up to 450 volts.

Why were certain participants chosen for the heist in 'The Heist'?

Participants were chosen based on their behavior during the Milgram experiment, such as their resourcefulness, their response to authority, and their willingness to continue the experiment.

What skills does the show claim to teach the participants?

The show claims to teach the participants genuine skills used by the host, peppered with some spurious pop psychology and a lot of green (presumably meaning untested or unreliable methods).