Comments on: Derren Discusses The Gameshow

By: Donna

Donna — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:49:32 +0000

i haven’t read all the comments but wanted to know if anyone else spotted that the guy being ‘tortured’ (as thats the only way you can describe it) was some one you werent supposed to like had the guy from the false guilty experiment been the the subject of this one people would have been nice because he was someone you like. not a fair experiment do it again in a few years with all new audience and choices with someone you cant help but like and see if the same happens.

By: John

John — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:40:50 +0000

Excellent show, I am hoping the audience and viewers learnt something for the future. I do not see the humor in peoples suffering and would have chosen the positive options, this show goes to prove that empathy and prediction skills are something lacking in todays society. Another reason for their behaviour may have been envy. It is however clear that from the start that Derren was manipulating the audiences decision and nudging them along.

I believe Derren should have gone to the next level, we should have seen Chris in an ambulance with chest paddles or at least a confirmation of his death. The resulting shock and horror would really have a memorable impact on the audience and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Note the woman who leaves the audience after the crash…

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:33:47 +0000

I found this show deeply upsetting and disturbing, though I knew about the electric shock experiments from many years ago. I still believe that people are basically good but this is disturbing tv. Not sure why I found is so difficult to watch.

By: Judith

Judith — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:48:51 +0000

@Jason Great article, thank you for posting, shows the power of deindividuation.

By: robert

robert — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:25:46 +0000

Derren. All casino in the UK will love you forever! NIce latest show! You just earnt them a fortune. I hope they paid you well. Nice one!

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:42:00 +0000

Very insightful into the human psyche and a fascinating show .

Would be interesting to know..

1. What ratio of people in the audience voted each time, as I’m sure some audience members would have abstained. Was this a handful of people deciding, or the vast majority?

2. If given a third choice ‘C’ was offered to abstain from voting, how many would have chosen this option and how this would have affected the result?

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:23:10 +0000

I’ve only just caught the Gameshow episode, which made for uncomfortable but highly entertaining viewing (as ever). In one of those weird little coincidences that life throws up now and again, I’d just an hour earlier read this long and interesting article on the very subject of this show: deindividuation. (link below) I don’t know if it really has been discredited as Fi suggests in the above post but it certainly raises some issues and questions about our ability to think and act according to our own ethical / moral compass, and not be swayed by the potentially powerful influences of anonymity and the crowd.

Here is the article: http://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/02/10/deindividuation/

By: Judith

Judith — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:38:25 +0000

@Dave I felt as if I was watching myself it was very odd, don’t know how to describe any better :-/

By: Fi

Fi — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:04:32 +0000

Not sure if anyone’s commented this already but deindividuation as a theory was discredited decades ago. Since then crowd behaviour (including anti social crowd behaviour) has been explained using social identity theory, where there is a shift from personal to group identity, and the norms of that group are taken on by its members. That is what the gameshow provided evidence for as it was quite blatant the audience were meant to choose the “bad”, more entertaining choice and so they did. Obviously Derren knows this but it makes better TV to say the crowd lost their minds and acted aggressively. I love Derren but this one I didn’t enjoy as much. It seems a lot of people who watched this now believe in deindividuation, an incorrect view of crowds that may carry consequences

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:47:20 +0000

I was part of the audience and i would be quite interested to find out if anyone else in the audience felt hypnotised. Im pretty sure apart from the first choice (accused of pinching the bum, which i thought would be quite funny until i realised how aggressive the boyfriend turned) i chose all the positive outcomes. I did however feel like i was under some sort of trance. Very weird experience.