<< Back to Faculty Eileen Chou Associate Professor of Public Policy Education & Training PhD, Management and Organization, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University MS, Social Science, Caltech BA, Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 434-982-4821 eileen.chou@virginia.edu Garrett Hall L007 Curriculum Vitae Courses taught Values-Based Leadership Introduction to Civic Leadership Areas of focus Social Psychology Chou’s research focuses on the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. She explores questions such as how the terms of contracts promote or inhibit cooperation among team members, whether and when hierarchy is an effective mechanism of social organization, how trust can be used as a strategic tactic, and whether or not it really is “lonely at the top.” Chou’s work has appeared in academic journals such as Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Economics Journal, Experimental Economics, and Organizational Psychological Review. Her research on prosocial behaviors has been selected to be featured in “the Best Paper Proceedings” by the Organizational Behavior division at the 2010 conference of the Academy of Management. Chou received her Ph.D. in Management and Organization from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and holds an M.S. in Social Science from Caltech and a B.A. in Psychology and Economics from UCLA. The Goldilocks Contract: The Synergistic Benefits of Combining Structure and Autonomy for Persistence, Creativity, and Cooperation Research Contracts are commonly used to regulate a wide range of interactions and relationships. Yet relying on contracts as a mechanism of control often comes at a cost to motivation. Safety in Numbers: Why the Mere Physical Presence of Others Affects Risk‐taking Behaviors Research As social mammals, being in a group signals a state of relative security. Risk‐taking behavior in other social mammals formed the basis for our prediction that the mere physical presence of others, absent any social interaction, would create a psychological state of security that, in turn, would promote greater risk‐taking behavior. The Link Between Income Inequality and Physical Pain Research Economic Insecurity Increases Physical Pain Research The past decade has seen a rise in both economic insecurity and frequency of physical pain. The current research reveals a causal connection between these two growing and consequential social trends. What's in a name? The toll e-signatures take on individual honesty Research People cherish and embrace the symbolic value that their unique handwritten signature holds. Technological advances, however, have led organizations to reject traditional handwritten signatures in favor of the efficiency and convenience of e-signatures. Not so lonely at the top: The relationship between power and loneliness Research Eight studies found a robust negative relationship between the experience of power and the experience of loneliness. Dispositional power and loneliness were negatively correlated (Study 1). Experimental inductions established causality: we manipulated high versus low power through autobiographical essays, assignment to positions, or control over resources, and found that each manipulation showed that high versus low power decreased loneliness (Studies 2a–2c). Paperless and soulless. E-signatures diminish the signer’s presence and decrease acceptance Research E-signatures are one of the fastest growing global practices because of their convenience. Much less is known, however, about whether people perceive e-signatures to be symbolically equivalent to traditional hand signatures. Mental models at work: Cognitive causes and consequences of conflict in organizations Research This research investigated the reciprocal relationship between mental models of conflict and various forms of dysfunctional social relations in organizations, including experiences of task and relationship conflicts, interpersonal hostility, workplace ostracism, and abusive supervision. How Decisions Happen: Focal Points and Blind Spots in Interdependent Decision Making Research Decision makers often simplify decision problems by ignoring readily available information. The current multimethod research investigated which types of information about interdependence situations are psychologically prominent to decision makers and which tend to go unnoticed. View All
The Goldilocks Contract: The Synergistic Benefits of Combining Structure and Autonomy for Persistence, Creativity, and Cooperation Research Contracts are commonly used to regulate a wide range of interactions and relationships. Yet relying on contracts as a mechanism of control often comes at a cost to motivation.
Safety in Numbers: Why the Mere Physical Presence of Others Affects Risk‐taking Behaviors Research As social mammals, being in a group signals a state of relative security. Risk‐taking behavior in other social mammals formed the basis for our prediction that the mere physical presence of others, absent any social interaction, would create a psychological state of security that, in turn, would promote greater risk‐taking behavior.
Economic Insecurity Increases Physical Pain Research The past decade has seen a rise in both economic insecurity and frequency of physical pain. The current research reveals a causal connection between these two growing and consequential social trends.
What's in a name? The toll e-signatures take on individual honesty Research People cherish and embrace the symbolic value that their unique handwritten signature holds. Technological advances, however, have led organizations to reject traditional handwritten signatures in favor of the efficiency and convenience of e-signatures.
Not so lonely at the top: The relationship between power and loneliness Research Eight studies found a robust negative relationship between the experience of power and the experience of loneliness. Dispositional power and loneliness were negatively correlated (Study 1). Experimental inductions established causality: we manipulated high versus low power through autobiographical essays, assignment to positions, or control over resources, and found that each manipulation showed that high versus low power decreased loneliness (Studies 2a–2c).
Paperless and soulless. E-signatures diminish the signer’s presence and decrease acceptance Research E-signatures are one of the fastest growing global practices because of their convenience. Much less is known, however, about whether people perceive e-signatures to be symbolically equivalent to traditional hand signatures.
Mental models at work: Cognitive causes and consequences of conflict in organizations Research This research investigated the reciprocal relationship between mental models of conflict and various forms of dysfunctional social relations in organizations, including experiences of task and relationship conflicts, interpersonal hostility, workplace ostracism, and abusive supervision.
How Decisions Happen: Focal Points and Blind Spots in Interdependent Decision Making Research Decision makers often simplify decision problems by ignoring readily available information. The current multimethod research investigated which types of information about interdependence situations are psychologically prominent to decision makers and which tend to go unnoticed.
