I am a senior lecturer in research methods with a background in biological psychology and the evolution of human behaviour. After completing my PhD at the University of Exeter in 2014, I spent one year there as a post-doctoral researcher investigating pigeon cognition. I then spent two years at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland as a post-doctoral researcher investigating human conflict and cooperation. I joined the University of Chester as a lecturer in 2017, and was promoted to senior lecturer in 2020. I joined Staffordshire University in December 2022.
My primary interest and research area lies in the evolution of human behaviour. I mainly focus on costly punishment and the role that status may have played in its evolution, including how the relationship between these two phenomena may impact areas such as the evolution of leadership and formal hierarchies. My other areas of interest include costly signalling, the evolution of morality and ‘fairness’, and generally anything related to cooperation and social-cognition.
More recently I have begun to pursue two different areas of research. One concerns risk and decision-making from a life-history theory perspective with a focus on behavioural responses to “existential” risks such as climate change. The second area concerns investigating why people believe and spread conspiracy theories.
Professional memberships and activities
- Chartered member of the British Psychological Society
- Member of the Human Behaviour and Evolution Society
- Member of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association
Academic qualifications
- Phd, “Shadow of the leviathan: the role of dominance in the evolution of costly punishment”, University of Exeter
- MSc in Evolutionary Psychology, University of Liverpool
- PGCert in learning and teaching in Higher education, University of Chester
- BSC in Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University
Expertise
- Evolution and human behaviour
- Research methods and statistics
- Behavioural economic games
Research interests
- Evolution and human behaviour
- Cooperation and pro-social behaviour
- Fairness and inequality
- Life-history theory and decision making
- Belief in conspiracy theories
Grants
- British Academy Small Research Grants scheme SRG2324\241087
Teaching
Undergraduate
- Research methods and statistics
- Biological psychology
- Social psychology
- Independent research projects
Publications
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Gordon, D. S. & Puurtinen (In Press). Fairness is what you can get away with: proposer and responder behaviour in a Collective Action Ultimatum Game. Social Psychology Bulletin
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Gordon, D. S., & Birney, M. E. (2025). Spite and Science‐Denial: Exploring the Role of Spitefulness in Conspiracy Ideation and COVID‐19 Conspiracy Beliefs. Journal of Social Issues, 81(1), e12662. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12662
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Gordon, D. S. & Birney, M. E. (2024) Self-reported spite predicts spiteful behavior in an online crowd-sourced sample. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1-10. doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2024.2429489
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Murray, L., Goddard, J. & Gordon, D.S. (2023). Facial Expression of TIPI Personality and CHMP-Tri Psychopathy Traits in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Human Nature, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-023-09462-2
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Gordon, D. S. (2021). Extrinsic and Existential Mortality Risk in Reproductive Decision-Making: Examining the Effects of COVID-19 Experience and Climate Change Beliefs. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(2294). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644600
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Gordon, D. S., & Puurtinen, M. (2021). High cooperation and welfare despite—and because of—the threat of antisocial punishments and feuds. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(7), 1373-1386.
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Gordon, D. S, & Lea, S. E. G. (2016). Who punishes? The status of punishers affects the perceived success of, and indirect benefits from, ‘moralistic’ punishment, Evolutionary Psychology, 14(3), 1474704916658042.
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Gordon, D. S, Madden, J. R. & Lea, S. E. G. (2014). Both loved and feared: third party punishers are view as formidable and likeable, but these reputational benefits may only be open to dominant individuals. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e110045.
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Gordon, D. S., & Platek, S. (2009). Trustworthy? The Brain knows: Implicit neural responses to faces that vary in dark triad personality characteristics and trustworthiness. Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology, 3(3), 182-200