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Isabel Scott

4th Year Postgraduate

telephone: +44 (0) 117 95 46621 email: psxis@bris.ac.uk

Room 1.4, 5 Priory Road

Keywords and interests

Evolutionary perspectives, cross-cultural research, individual differences, mate choice, facial perception, personality perception, economic, moral and political psychology.


Background

Prior to my PhD I studied maths, philosophy and biological anthropology and Oxford University, Kings College London and University College London. I also worked at the National Centre for Social Research on the British Social Attitudes survey. My Masters project investigated the effect on somatic preferences of migration from developing countries to the UK. My Phd has been conducted in the social cognition group at Bristol, under the supervision of Ian Penton-Voak (psychology) and Mhairi Gibson (anthropology). From November 2011 I will be working in the anthropology department at Bristol (ESRC postdoctoral fellowship. Title: Inter- and intra-group variation in facial preferences).

Research



My recent research concerns facial perception and mate choice, and employs an evolutionary and cross-cultural perspective. The primary objective of my PhD has been to document global variation in face preferences and perceptions, and to identify social, demographic and ecological predictors of such variation. I have addressed this task via a large multi-population investigation of preferences for sex-typical facial morphology, which has included populations with minimal exposure to industrial technology and modern media. I have also attempted to identify some of the mechanisms via which such preferences are generated, such as the selective processing of facial information. In addition, I have examined the influence of methodological factors, such as the use of composite photographs and morphing techniques, on reported facial preferences.

My current interests include the development of facial perceptions in childhood and adolescence, and how ethnic biases in face-preferences among migrant groups can shed light on the ontogeny of facial perceptions throughout the life course. I also have an interest in evolutionary approaches to moral, economic and political psychology.

Publications

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SCOTT, I.M., POUND, N., STEPHEN, I., CLARK, A.P. & PENTON-VOAK, I.S. (in press) Does Masculinity Matter? The contribution of masculine face-shape to male attractiveness in humans. PLOS One.

BROOKS, R., SCOTT, I.M., MAKLAKOV, A.A., KASUMOVIC, M.M., CLARK, A.P. & PENTON-VOAK, I.S. (in press) National income inequality predicts women’s preferences for masculinized faces better than health does. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

SCOTT, I., SWAMI, V., JOSEPHSON, S. C. & PENTON-VOAK, I. S. (2008) Context-dependent preferences for facial dimorphism in a rural Malaysian population. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29, 289-296.

SCOTT, I., BENTLEY, G. R., TOVEE, M. J., AHAMED, F. U. & MAGID, K. (2007) An evolutionary perspective on male preferences for female body shape. IN SWAMI, V. & FURNHAM, A. (Eds.) Body Beautiful: Evolutionary and Sociocultural Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan.

In review:

SCOTT, I.M. & PENTON-VOAK, I.S. Selective processing of visual information from reproductively valuable faces.

SCOTT, I.M., AND PENTON-VOAK, I.S. The Validity of Composite Photographs for Assessing Masculinity Preferences.

In preparation:

SCOTT, I.M., BOOTHROYD, L.G., CLARK, A.P., AND PENTON-VOAK, I.S. Masculine Facial Morphology in Men: its significance, or otherwise, to attractiveness. Invited review article for the journal Behavioural Ecology

PENTON-VOAK, I.S., SCOTT, I.M., JOSEPHSON, S.C., PURZYCKI, B.G., SWAMI, V., JAMIESON, M., JANKOWIAK, W., HONEY, P.L., ZHAO, Y., & HUANG, Z. A cross-cultural investigation of sex-typicality and attractiveness

Presentations:

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND EVOLUTION SOCIETY, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, 2009.
Poster presentation: “Does Masculinity Matter? The contribution of masculinity to attractiveness”

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND EVOLUTION SOCIETY, FULLERTON CA , 2009.
Oral presentation: “Mothers and Mate Choice: facial preferences in a cross-cultural sample”

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND EVOLUTION SOCIETY, KYOTO, 2008
Oral presentation: “A cross-cultural investigation into preferences for facial dimorphism”

EUROPEAN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND EVOLUTION ASSOCIATION, MONTPELIER, 2008
Poster presentation: “Category contingent after-effects and male facial preferences”

ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, NEWCASTLE, 2007
Poster presentation: “How are preferences for dimorphism established?”

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGISTS, PHILADELPHIA, 2007
Poster presentation: “An evolutionary perspective on male preferences for female body shape”

people | academic and research staff | support staff | PhD students