Comments on: Derren Brown: The Experiments – THE GAMESHOW http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/ The official Derren Brown Blog Mon, 07 May 2012 09:24:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Richard http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95510 Richard Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:44:19 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95510 How did the door work? I could see that the interpretation of the coin was not given, so the person was free to interpret as he wished. Also there were obstructions placed in front of the bad door. If I'd have been there I wonder if I'd have consciously noted these (especially being in the presence of someone known for these things) and what I'd have chosen. How did the door work? I could see that the interpretation of the coin was not given, so the person was free to interpret as he wished. Also there were obstructions placed in front of the bad door. If I’d have been there I wonder if I’d have consciously noted these (especially being in the presence of someone known for these things) and what I’d have chosen.

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95356 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:54:39 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95356 9) Poor theory can therefore ultimately lead to both public disorder, and an attack upon our democratic rights as individuals to express our views collectively. It is therefore in all of our interests to gain an accurate understanding of crowd behaviour, rather than rely upon outdated theory that is not only wrong, but dangerous. Fergus Neville (fgn@st-and.ac.uk) and David Novelli (dln21@sussex.ac.uk) Crowd psychologists at the University of St Andrews, and University of Sussex respectively. 9) Poor theory can therefore ultimately lead to both public disorder, and an attack upon our democratic rights as individuals to express our views collectively. It is therefore in all of our interests to gain an accurate understanding of crowd behaviour, rather than rely upon outdated theory that is not only wrong, but dangerous.

Fergus Neville (fgn@st-and.ac.uk) and David Novelli (dln21@sussex.ac.uk)
Crowd psychologists at the University of St Andrews, and University of Sussex respectively.

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95355 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:53:46 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95355 8) Why is all this important? Does it really matter to anyone other than social psychologists that outdated theory is portrayed as factual on prime-time television? The point is that an understanding of crowd psychology has important consequences for society. Pathologising crowds as anti-social entities acting without identity or reason can legitimate their violent repression by security forces, prevent intragroup helping in emergencies, and facilitate the dismissal of popular protest as irrational by those in positions of power. (continued in next post) 8) Why is all this important? Does it really matter to anyone other than social psychologists that outdated theory is portrayed as factual on prime-time television? The point is that an understanding of crowd psychology has important consequences for society. Pathologising crowds as anti-social entities acting without identity or reason can legitimate their violent repression by security forces, prevent intragroup helping in emergencies, and facilitate the dismissal of popular protest as irrational by those in positions of power. (continued in next post)

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95354 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:53:11 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95354 7) It is important to emphasise that we are not arguing that crowds are immune from anti-social behaviour; some of the very worst atrocities in history have been committed by crowds (e.g. religious pogroms, lynchings etc.). The point is that crowd behaviour is neither inherently good nor bad, but is dependent upon the norms of the shared social identity of its members. (continued in next post) 7) It is important to emphasise that we are not arguing that crowds are immune from anti-social behaviour; some of the very worst atrocities in history have been committed by crowds (e.g. religious pogroms, lynchings etc.). The point is that crowd behaviour is neither inherently good nor bad, but is dependent upon the norms of the shared social identity of its members. (continued in next post)

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95353 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:52:45 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95353 6) As famously demonstrated by Johnson and Downing (1979), when people were given masks resembling those of the KKK they displayed more anti-social behaviour than control participants. However, when these same people were given nurses’ uniforms they displayed significantly less anti-social behaviour than controls. The fact that audience members wearing the ‘thug’ masks chose anti-social options is consistent with the argument that crowd behaviour is contextualised, and not the proposed explanation that it is inherently anti-social. (continued in next post) 6) As famously demonstrated by Johnson and Downing (1979), when people were given masks resembling those of the KKK they displayed more anti-social behaviour than control participants. However, when these same people were given nurses’ uniforms they displayed significantly less anti-social behaviour than controls. The fact that audience members wearing the ‘thug’ masks chose anti-social options is consistent with the argument that crowd behaviour is contextualised, and not the proposed explanation that it is inherently anti-social. (continued in next post)

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95352 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:52:18 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95352 5) In the case of Friday’s ‘experiment’, the audience acted in terms of their collective identity as audience members in at least two ways. First, the very object of being in a gameshow audience is by definition to be entertained. Each time the audience were faced with a choice, they picked what was clearly the most entertaining option, and the selection that would prolong their involvement in the event (the audience also understood that the consequences of their actions weren’t real; akin to an interactive episode of Beadle’s About!). Second, the menacing masks that audience members wore were hardly neutral cues; in fact the very same masks were later worn by the ‘group of thugs’ who attempted the kidnap in the final scene. (continued in next post) 5) In the case of Friday’s ‘experiment’, the audience acted in terms of their collective identity as audience members in at least two ways. First, the very object of being in a gameshow audience is by definition to be entertained. Each time the audience were faced with a choice, they picked what was clearly the most entertaining option, and the selection that would prolong their involvement in the event (the audience also understood that the consequences of their actions weren’t real; akin to an interactive episode of Beadle’s About!). Second, the menacing masks that audience members wore were hardly neutral cues; in fact the very same masks were later worn by the ‘group of thugs’ who attempted the kidnap in the final scene. (continued in next post)

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95351 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:51:44 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95351 4) These norms will differ depending upon which collective identity is salient at any given time e.g. as a resident of a local community, supporter of a sports team, or as a member of an audience at a television recording. Crowd behaviour is therefore rooted in social context, such that individuals may even act more pro-socially in a crowd than they would do alone (see e.g. the non-violent resistance of Indian crowds in the face of colonial British rule, or within-crowd helping during emergencies [see a blog post on this topic - http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/08/emergencies-inspire-crowd-cooperation-panic]). (continued in next post) 4) These norms will differ depending upon which collective identity is salient at any given time e.g. as a resident of a local community, supporter of a sports team, or as a member of an audience at a television recording. Crowd behaviour is therefore rooted in social context, such that individuals may even act more pro-socially in a crowd than they would do alone (see e.g. the non-violent resistance of Indian crowds in the face of colonial British rule, or within-crowd helping during emergencies [see a blog post on this topic – http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2009/08/emergencies-inspire-crowd-cooperation-panic). (continued in next post)

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95350 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:51:26 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95350 3) Brown stated during the episode and in a subsequent interview on his website that ‘deindividuation’ within crowds causes people to lose their identities and consequently behave in inevitably anti-social ways. Empirical work from the last thirty years has discredited these claims. This research has shown that rather than a loss of identity within crowds, there is a shift from personal to social levels of identification. Instead of acting in terms of the norms and behavioural limits of one’s personal identity, one therefore acts in coherence with the norms of one’s salient social identity. (continued in next post) 3) Brown stated during the episode and in a subsequent interview on his website that ‘deindividuation’ within crowds causes people to lose their identities and consequently behave in inevitably anti-social ways. Empirical work from the last thirty years has discredited these claims. This research has shown that rather than a loss of identity within crowds, there is a shift from personal to social levels of identification. Instead of acting in terms of the norms and behavioural limits of one’s personal identity, one therefore acts in coherence with the norms of one’s salient social identity. (continued in next post)

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95349 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:50:35 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95349 2) We have several methodological issues with the study, including the fact that it was not an experiment (as claimed by the title) since no independent variable was manipulated (there was not a sample making equivalent decisions alone or without masks), the ‘bad’ choice was always presented to the audience second, and Derren, who led the ‘experiment’ is renowned for his skill in influencing people’s decision-making processes. However, methodological confounds aside, the purpose of this piece is to question the psychological theory upon which the episode was based. (continued in next post) 2) We have several methodological issues with the study, including the fact that it was not an experiment (as claimed by the title) since no independent variable was manipulated (there was not a sample making equivalent decisions alone or without masks), the ‘bad’ choice was always presented to the audience second, and Derren, who led the ‘experiment’ is renowned for his skill in influencing people’s decision-making processes. However, methodological confounds aside, the purpose of this piece is to question the psychological theory upon which the episode was based. (continued in next post)

]]> By: Fergus Neville http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/2011/10/derren-brown-experiments-gameshow/#comment-95348 Fergus Neville Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:50:08 +0000 http://derrenbrown.co.uk/blog/?p=17125#comment-95348 1) A RESPONSE TO DERREN BROWN'S ‘EXPERIMENT’ FROM TWO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS We would like to dispute in the strongest possible terms the theoretical underpinnings and proposed implications from Derren Brown’s crowd ‘experiment’ aired on 28/10/11. Whilst we welcome Brown’s efforts to popularise social psychology in innovative and engaging ways, this particular episode was premised upon outdated theory that led to misleading and dangerous conclusions. (continued in next post) 1) A RESPONSE TO DERREN BROWN’S ‘EXPERIMENT’ FROM TWO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS
We would like to dispute in the strongest possible terms the theoretical underpinnings and proposed implications from Derren Brown’s crowd ‘experiment’ aired on 28/10/11. Whilst we welcome Brown’s efforts to popularise social psychology in innovative and engaging ways, this particular episode was premised upon outdated theory that led to misleading and dangerous conclusions. (continued in next post)

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