Michael Stirrat

EPSRC Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at University of St Andrews

I studied for my first degree at Edinburgh University in Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence. After a brief foray down to Brighton for the Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems course at Sussex, I returned to St Andrews to work with Prof. David Perrett as a researcher using computational techniques in the study of skin health, ageing, face perception, and public engagement projects.

Latterly, I gained a PhD supervised by Prof Perrett on social perceptions of trustworthiness. This research focused on how faces contribute to social attributions; and how these influence coordinating and cooperative behaviours, not least, who we choose to trust.

My current research aims all revolve around the psychology of trust: Who would we choose as friends? How does trust relate to our choice of mate? How do aggression and dominance relate to evaluations of competence and trust? Who do we vote for as our leaders?

Recent research:

1. Male facial (bizygomatic) width (scaled for face height) is related to male decisions to collaborate for mutual financial gain or to exploit others for greater personal gain. Others are also less likely to trust males with wide rather than narrow faces (independent of attractiveness). Psychological Science 21(3) 349-354 (2010).

2. In a human mating (dating) market we found condition dependent financial preferences that are adaptive to participant evaluations of their own quality and that of prospective partners: Physical attractiveness affects payment preferences on hypothetical romantic dinner dates. While more attractive individuals of both sexes were more likely to want their date to pay, male participants wanted to pay for dates with more attractive women but women wanted the more attractive men to pay. Evolutionary Psychology 9(1) 79-91 (2011).

Research interests: Psychology of Trust; Cooperation/Coordination; Leadership/Followership; Face Perception; Social Attributions; Psychology of Generosity/Helping; Psychology of Religion; Evolution of Language/languages; Decision and Game Theory.

Publications

In press

Stirrat, M., & Perrett, D. I. (in press). Face structure predicts cooperation: men with wider faces are more generous to their in-group when out-group competition is salient. Psychological Science.

Stirrat, M., Stulp, G., & Pollet, T. V. (in press). Male facial width is associated with death by contact violence: Narrow-faced males are more likely to die from contact violence. Evolution and Human Behavior.

2012

Law Smith, M. J., Deady, D. K., Moore, F. R., Jones, B. C., Cornwell, R. E., Stirrat, M., et al. (2012). Maternal tendencies in women are associated with estrogen levels and facial femininity. Hormones and Behavior, 61(1), 12-16. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.09.005

2011

Horning, S. M., Davis, H. P., Stirrat, M., & Cornwell, R. E. (2011). Atheistic, agnostic, and religious older adults on well-being and coping behaviors. Journal of Aging Studies, 25(2), 177-188. doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2010.08.022

Stirrat, M, Gumert, M D, and Perrett, D I. The effect of attractiveness on food sharing preferences in human mating markets. Evolutionary Psychology, 9(1) 79-91 (2011). (pdf)

2010

Stirrat, M, and Perrett, D I. Valid facial cues to cooperation and trust: Male facial width and trustworthiness. Psychological Science 21(3) 349-354 (2010). doi: 10.1177/0956797610362647

Horning, S M, Davis, H P, Stirrat, M, and Cornwell, R E. Atheistic, agnostic, and religious older adults on well-being and coping behaviours. Journal of Aging Studies 25(2) 177-188 (2010), doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2010.08.022

2009

Stephen, I D, Law Smith, M J, Stirrat, M R, and Perrett, D I. Facial skin colouration affects perceived health of human faces. International Journal of Primatology 30 (6) (2009) doi: 10.1007/s10764-009-9380-z

2005-08

Cornwell, R, Law Smith, M, Boothroyd, L, Moore, F, Davis, H, Stirrat, M, Tiddeman, B, Perrett, D. Reproductive strategy, sexual development and attraction to facial characteristics Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361 (1476) 2143 - 2154 (2006) (Epub 03 Nov 2006) doi: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1936

Law Smith, M, Perrett, D, Jones, B, Cornwell, R, Moore, F, Feinberg, D, Boothroyd, L, Durrani, S, Stirrat, M, Whiten, S, Pitman, R, Hillier, S. Facial appearance is a cue to oestrogen levels in women Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 273 (1583) 135 - 140 (2006) (Epub 01 Nov 2005) doi: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3296

Tiddeman, B, Stirrat, M, Perrett, D. “Towards Realism in Facial Image Transformation: Results of a Wavelet MRF Method.” Computer Graphics Forum 449-456 (2006) doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8659.2005.00870.x

Tiddeman, B, Stirrat, M, Perrett, D. “Towards Realism in Facial Prototyping: Results of a Wavelet MRF Method.” Proc. Theory and Practice of Computer Graphics , Lever, L, McDerby, M (eds) 105-111 (2006) doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8659.2005.00870.x

Jones, B, Perrett, D, Little, A, Boothroyd, L, Cornwell, R, Feinberg, D, Tiddeman, B, Whiten, S, Pitman, R, Hillier, S, Burt, D, Stirrat, M, Law Smith, M, Moore, F. Menstrual cycle, pregnancy and oral contraceptive use alter attraction to apparent health in faces Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 272 (1561) , 347 - 354 (2005) (Epub 17 Feb 2005) doi: 10.1098/rspb.2004.2962

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Employment

2010-2011 – EPSRC Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of St Andrews

2009-2010 – Lead Demonstrator, University of St Andrews

2002-2006 – Research Associate, University of St Andrews, St Andrews

2002-2006 – Associate Lecturer, Open University (Scotland)

1997-2001 – Computer Lab Supervisor (P/T), University of Edinburgh Computing Services, Edinburgh

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Teaching

2009-2010 – Demonstrator, University of St Andrews

2008-2009 – Guest Lecturer, PS5012

2005-2007 – Co-Supervisor (with David Perrett)

2002-2006 – Associate Lecturer, Open University ( Scotland )

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Conferences

Stirrat, M. R., Buls, D., and Perrett, D. I. “Robust male skull shape is associated with untrustworthiness.” Paper presented at the 5th Annual Meeting of the European Human Behavior and Evolution Association, Wroclaw, Poland, 25-27th March, 2010.

Stirrat, M. R., and D. I. Perrett. "Male Dominance and Female Facial Attractiveness Modulate Behaviours in Trust Games." Paper presented at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Kyoto, Japan, June 4-8, 2008.

Stirrat, M. R., Jamie F. Lawson, Martin A. Sharp, Emad A. S. Al Dujali, Ian D. Stephen, and D. I. Perrett. "Fear of Punishment: Testosterone Elicits Trustworthiness in Trust Games." Paper presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, May 30-June 3, 2007.

Stirrat, M. R., Olga Zubko, Jamie F. Lawson, M. J. Law Smith, D. I. Perrett, B. Jones, and L. M. DeBruine. "Health Appearance Influences Trust Judgments." Paper presented at the 18th Annual Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, University of Pennsylvania, June 7-11th, 2006.

Tiddeman, B. P., M.R. Stirrat, and D. I. Perrett. "Towards Realism in Facial Image Prototyping: Results of a Wavelet MRF Method." Paper presented at the Theory and Practice of Computer Graphics, University of Kent , Canterbury , United Kingdom , 15th to 17th June 2005.

RE Cornwell, B. C. Jones, L.G. Boothroyd, D.R. Feinberg, M.J. Law Smith, F.R. Moore, L.M. DeBruine, M.R. Stirrat, R.M. Pitman, S. Whiten, and D. I. Perrett. "Hormones and Preferences for Pheromones and Facial Characteristics." Hormones and Behaviour 46, no. 1 (2004): 129.

RE Cornwell, LG Boothroyd, LM DeBruine, DR Feinberg, BC Jones, FR Moore, MJ Law Smith, MR Stirrat, RM Pitman, S Whiten, DI Perrett. "Developmental influences on mate choice in young adults." Human Behavior and Evolution Society in Berlin, Germany. July 2004.

DR Feinberg, BC Jones, LM DeBruine, AC Little, RE Cornwell, LG Boothroyd, MR Stirrat, DI Perrett. "Women’s pitch of voice and facial-metric masculinity correlate: implications for reproductive strategy." Human Behavior and Evolution Society in Berlin, Germany. July 2004.

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Posters

T Pollet, G Stulp & M Stirrat. "Narrow-faced males are more likely to die from contact violence than wide-faced males." 23rd Annual Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Montpellier, France, June 29th to July 3rd, 2011. 

M.R. Stirrat and D.I. Perrett. "‘Robust' male facial width predicts exploitation of trust" Fourth Meeting of the Evolution and Human Behaviour Association, University of St Andrews. April 6-8, 2009.

M.R. Stirrat and D.I. Perrett. "Dominance and dinner dates: Who pays the bill?" 20th Annual Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Kyoto, Japan, June 4-8, 2008.

M.R. Stirrat and D.I. Perrett. "Sex, Trust and Participant Role." School of Psychology, University of St Andrews. December 13, 2007.

M.R. Stirrat and D.I. Perrett. "Health appearance influences trust judgments." School of Psychology, University of St Andrews. December 15, 2006.

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Public Engagement

March 20 2009: Public Lecture – "The Faces We Trust: How the way we look influences relationships." St Andrews Extension Programmes, Open Association 2008-9.

March 18 2009: Brain day interactive and practical workshop with local Fife school pupils – "Trust in the Brain"

March 25 to April 5, 2008: Edinburgh International Science Festival – Wonderama, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh : Face Morph

March 8, 2008: Science Discovery Day – St Andrews Science Festival, University of St Andrews , Physics Building , St Andrews

2007-2008: NHS Tayside – Ageing & smoking software, installed on computers in 15 schools in Tayside area

October 2004 to February 2005: Wellcome Trust: Future Face – Exhibition at the Science Museum , London

July 5-8, 2004: The Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition, Exhibit 10: Should we judge a book by its cover?

Museum Exhibits 2004 to present: Face Morpher

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Grants

EPSRC Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship .

Brain Travel Grant. Total value: £800. Won funding to give an invited talk at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Kyoto , Japan , 4-8th June, 2008 and to discuss collaborations at the departments of Psychology at Kyoto University .

Grindley Travel Grant Total value: £500. Won funding from the Experimental Psychology Society to attend the 19th Human Behavior & Evolution Society meeting, at William & Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, 30th May to 3rd Jun 2007

EPSRC Doctoral Training Grant Total value: approx. £56,000 (full fees and maintenance). My PhD was funded by this grant. Funding runs Oct 2006 – Sep 2009.

Unilever Grant (2006-2009) Total value: £15,000: For research assistance under grants held by Prof. David Perrett (PI), University of St Andrews.

Department of Psychology Travel Grant Total value: £1000. Secured funding to attend HBES conferences in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

HBES Travel Grant Total value £150. Won funding to attend HBES 2008 conference.

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Education

2006-2009 – University of St Andrews, St Andrews

2001-2002 – University of Sussex, Brighton

1997 – 2001 – University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh

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