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).

Outlines

00:00

🎬 The Heist: A Social Experiment

This paragraph introduces a social experiment disguised as a motivational seminar for middle management professionals. The narrator, a show host, aims to explore whether participants can be persuaded to commit a staged robbery under the guise of academic research. The setup involves a reenactment of Stanley Milgram's 1963 experiment, which investigated how ordinary people could be coerced into committing harmful acts by authority figures. The participants are unknowingly involved in a scenario where they believe they are administering electric shocks to a learner as part of a study on the effects of punishment on learning. The experiment is conducted with hidden cameras, and the participants are led to believe they are part of a genuine research project. The segment also includes a reenactment of the Milgram experiment, where participants are instructed to administer increasing levels of electric shocks to a learner, who is actually an actor, upon giving incorrect answers to memory questions. The experiment is designed to test the participants' willingness to follow orders, even when it involves causing apparent harm to others.

05:01

🔬 Milgram's Experiment Reenactment: Compliance and Authority

The second paragraph delves deeper into the reenactment of Milgram's experiment, focusing on the participants' reactions as they administer what they believe are electric shocks to the learner. The learner, an actor, is shown to be in distress, and the participants are torn between following the experimenter's orders and their moral compass. The paragraph highlights the ethical dilemmas faced by the participants and their struggle to continue or stop the experiment. Some participants express concern for the learner's well-being, while others are more compliant, following the experimenter's instructions to continue despite the learner's protests. The segment concludes with some participants refusing to continue, while others reluctantly proceed. The outcome of the reenactment mirrors the original Milgram experiment, with over 50% of the participants administering the highest level of shock. The paragraph ends with the selection of four subjects who will proceed to the next phase of the show, based on their responses during the experiment.

10:02

🛠️ Training for the Heist: Skills and Psychology

The final paragraph shifts focus to the preparation phase for the heist, where the selected subjects are taught genuine skills by the show host, interspersed with spurious pop psychology. The host reflects on the participants' reactions during the Milgram experiment, noting their resourcefulness, compliance, and moral conflict. The training session is designed to equip the subjects with the necessary skills for the upcoming heist, while also observing their behavior and character under controlled conditions. The paragraph suggests that the skills being taught are practical and relevant to the heist, but also includes elements of psychological manipulation and observation, setting the stage for the final act of the show.

Keywords

💡Motivational Seminar

A motivational seminar is an event designed to inspire and motivate participants, typically through presentations and interactive sessions. In the video, the seminar serves as a cover for a hidden experiment, illustrating the concept of manipulation and the power of perceived authority. The participants believe they are learning valuable skills, not realizing they are part of a larger psychological study.

💡Middle Management

Middle management refers to the group of managers and supervisors who are in the middle of an organizational hierarchy, overseeing frontline supervisors and workers while also reporting to top management. In the context of the video, middle management professionals are targeted for the experiment, possibly due to their position of authority and the pressures they face to conform to directives from higher-ups.

💡Armed Robbery

Armed robbery involves the use of weapons to commit theft. The script mentions a staged armed robbery as part of the experiment, which is meant to test the participants' reactions under extreme pressure and their willingness to comply with directives that go against their moral judgment.

💡Milgram's Experiment

Milgram's experiment, conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram in 1963, was a study on obedience to authority. It involved participants administering what they believed were electric shocks to another person when told to do so by an authority figure. The video references this experiment to set up a scenario where participants are expected to follow orders, even if it leads to harmful outcomes.

💡Obedience

Obedience is the act of complying with orders, requests, or demands from a person or authority. The video explores the concept of obedience through the lens of the Milgram experiment, showing how participants are willing to administer what they believe are harmful electric shocks due to the pressure to obey authority figures.

💡Covert Cameras

Covert cameras are hidden recording devices used for discreet surveillance. In the script, covert cameras are used to film the experiment without the participants' knowledge, capturing their genuine reactions to the situation and ensuring the results are not influenced by their awareness of being observed.

💡Actor

An actor in this context is a person who pretends to be a participant or another role within the experiment to manipulate the situation. The script mentions actors playing the roles of 'learners' and 'scientists' to deceive the real participants and guide the experiment in a predetermined direction.

💡Punishment

Punishment, in the context of the video, refers to the negative consequences or penalties given as a response to incorrect answers in the fake memory test. It is used as a tool to study how people react when they are asked to inflict pain on others under the guise of 'punishment' for incorrect answers.

💡Lethal Voltage

Lethal voltage refers to an electric current that is powerful enough to cause death. In the script, the experiment escalates to a point where participants are asked to administer what they believe is a lethal voltage as part of the obedience test, pushing the boundaries of their moral and ethical limits.

💡Authority

Authority in the video represents the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. The experiment is designed to test the participants' response to authority, particularly their willingness to carry out actions that they might otherwise find morally objectionable simply because they are instructed to do so by someone perceived as an authority figure.

💡Pop Psychology

Pop psychology refers to psychological theories or concepts that are popularized and simplified for mass consumption, often lacking the rigor of academic psychology. The script mentions 'spurious pop psychology' as part of the seminar, suggesting that the content is not entirely credible and is used to entertain or manipulate the participants.

Highlights

The experiment disguises a heist as a motivational seminar to test obedience to authority.

Participants believe they are part of academic research on the effects of punishment on learning.

The setup is a reenactment of Stanley Milgram's 1963 experiment on obedience to authority.

Milgram's experiment aimed to understand how normal people can commit harmful acts when ordered.

The experiment is filmed with covert cameras to capture genuine reactions.

Participants are tricked into believing they are 'teachers' in the experiment.

The 'learner' is an actor who pretends to receive electric shocks for wrong answers.

The 'teacher' participants are told to increase the voltage for each wrong answer.

The experiment pushes participants to decide whether to continue or defy the scientist's orders.

Over 50% of participants continue to the highest voltage level, mirroring Milgram's results.

The experiment reveals a willingness to obey authority figures, even to the point of causing harm.

Participants are debriefed and told the true nature of the experiment after its conclusion.

The experiment's outcome forms part of a larger show discussing obedience and authority.

Four subjects are chosen for a heist based on their resourcefulness and reactions during the experiment.

Vicki, who recognized the Milgram experiment, is included for her potential to resist authority.

The subjects are taught genuine skills mixed with psychology to prepare them for the heist.

Transcripts

under the guise of a motivational

seminar in which I teach my skills to a

group of middle management businessmen

and women can I get any of them to steal

00,000 in what they believe is a genuine

armed robbery that's the show this is

the

[Music]

heist so a week ago I arranged for them

to take part in what they now think is a

piece of unfilmed academic research at a

university and nothing to do with the

show uh supposedly looking into the

effects of punishment on learning and

they believe now that this is part of

their growth process in fact it was a

reenactment of a powerful experiment

conducted by Stanley mgrm in 1963 to

look at how normal people can commit

atrocious acts simply because they're

following orders milgram's parents were

Jewish refugees in World War II and his

pioneering work speaks volumes about the

nature of responsibility it's being

filmed with covert cameras

thank

you they're introduced to an actor

pretending to be another participant you

didn't come from the same room no no

yeah you don't know each other no we

don't actually know how punishment

affects learning after a brief

introduction our subjects are tricked

into thinking they've chosen their role

as teachers in the experiment and if you

could just tell me what your positions

are learner learner and teacher learner

the teacher our subjects observe the

learner being instructed by the

scientist who is just another actor this

electrode is connected to a generator in

a second room where we'll be going with

the teacher okay just make sure that we

have a good contact with the skin and so

it doesn't cause any blistering or

burning is that comfortable that's okay

yeah yeah we just place these straps

around your arms just to avoid avoid any

excess movement those aren't too tight

no that's okay no the teacher we will

read out some word pairs to you blue

the learner is told he's going to be

asked a series of memory questions by

the teacher he will have to remember

word pairs and then correctly remember

them when offered multiple choices if

the answer is incorrect you will receive

an electric

shock the teacher is then taken next

door and shown the generator which

ranges from 15 volts all the way up to a

lethal 450 volts the domestic

electricity Supply in the UK is of

course 240 volts job is to our teachers

are given the list of questions and told

to increase the voltage each time the

learner gets a question wrong they are

then given an example of a low voltage

shock and try and estimate in faults the

amount of shock you feel you're getting

okay

Jesus oh do you know how much that

was enough 75 it was actually

45 oh my God teacher begin shoe horn

steam the point of this test is to see

whether the teachers our subjects will

call a stop to the experiment or

continue to the point where they are

administering seemingly lethal electric

shocks to the victim simply because the

scientist is telling them

to that's

correct Captain according to plan our

accomplice provided many wrong answers

each protest was coordinated to a

particular shock voltage on the

generator and his responses were played

via a CD that's wrong 150 vol

the correct the correct answer is

Captain

Shu

cup that's

wrong 225

volts it off got enough of

this

he's in a lot of pain continue please

but he's he's not he's not comfortable

we must continue to the end of the

experiment with the Lear light not he

has to go on until he's learned the

words

correctly

okay

Forest

that's wrong 240

volts are you sure this not causing any

lasting damage he sounds in like he's in

a lot of pain the shots might be painful

they're not harmful what does that mean

though they're not harmful sorry I'm not

I'm not I'm not getting you when you say

that they might be painful but they're

not harmful it cause no long-term

damage okay so what does that mean that

it doesn't leave any scars it causes no

damage it seems very that seems very

cold and calculated to me this doesn't

seem like a very

anyway

golden that's wrong mate 300

volts that's enough I refuse to anymore

just let me

out

staple the options a diet jar balcony

Bowl going to

answer if the learner doesn't answer in

a reasonable time say four to 5 seconds

and you have to treat the answer as

wrong and follow that

procedure did you hear that learner

just any response mate come on well

guess man come on please continue 345

volts if you're still with me I'm

sorry I can't do this honestly can we

stop this experiment because I can't do

this this I if you don't continue we'll

have to discontinue the

experiment yeah okay fine that's fine

I'm not going to do

this

incorrect 405

volts

um sorry I don't someone want to check

on him or something it's just he's not

making any noise now and he was before

and I'm quite happy to go on but I just

a bit worried about if you would

continue yeah just bit wored cuz he

was he was like complaining before about

the but no harm no harm will come to

he's not making any noise

now it's essential that we continue with

the

[Music]

experiment

balcony

incorrect 400

50

Vols you promise he's not W please

continue with the procedure you it hurts

but

it's cuz it's like it says they're

dangerous so

shot it'll be all right yeah please

continue

okay I think we'll disc continue the

experiment there all of the subjects

were told the true nature of the

experiment was to see how they would

respond to Authority and that it would

eventually form part of this

show he is okay I can tell you he's

absolutely fa you actually weren't

administering electric shops to him at

all he is he

[Music]

is wind bird in the original mgrm

experiment psychologists were asked to

predict how many people would continue

to the point that they were

administering the highest shock on the

board their prediction was 1/10th of

1% they were

wrong the results of our experiment were

almost identical to the

original over 50% of participants

continued up to 450 volts the majority

of people will administer lethal

electric shocks just because a guy in a

white coat is telling them to 450 volts

450 volts 450 volts 450 so after the

results of the mgrm experiment I've now

chosen my four subjects that will go

forward for the

heist Phil was impressively resourceful

when he was caught stealing sweets and

held in his anguish during the milgrim

experiment rather than defy the

scientist I did want to include a woman

in the group Jen was the only subject to

take a long time to recover after the

mgrm experiment so I felt I shouldn't

use her Veronica didn't steal from the

shop so that left Vicki of all the

subjects she was the only one to have

known the original mgrm experiment and

call a halt to her involvement in it can

I just

say I can't do this because I've heard

of this experiment before so I think

she'll be quite interesting to use

although I I don't know if she'll

actually take the bait or not Ally stole

most from the shop seems to be highly

responsive most outgoing and seemed most

happy to continue the experiment until

he was stopped well shouldn't have made

more notches on the thing I'm sorry

Danny stopped the experiment but in such

an outspoken way that I suspected he

would have real strength of character to

bring out it's not even reacting

anymore

45 I'm going to teach them some genuine

skills that I use peppered with some

spirous pop psychology and quite a lot

of very green isn't it what is

green yeah