Emily M. Zitek

Overview

Emily Zitek joined the School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 2012. She received her B.A. in psychology from Rice University in 2003 and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University in 2010. Professor Zitek also has training in statistics. She received a B.A. in statistics from Rice in 2003 and an M.S. in statistics from Stanford in 2008.

Teaching Statement

Professor Zitek teaches Sport Psychology and Social Science Research Methods to undergraduates, and Data Analysis in Practice to graduate students.

Research Statement

Professor Zitek studies topics such as the sources and consequences of psychological entitlement, why hierarchies are a prevalent form of organizing, how people react to positive and negative events (e.g., good or bad luck, rejection, poor performance, etc.), stereotyping and discrimination in various domains, and factors that affect people’s participation and performance in sports.

Service Statement

Professor Zitek is the director of the Expo Lab and advisor for club Ultimate Frisbee and club softball. She also enjoys providing ad hoc statistical consulting to ILR students.

Areas of Expertise

Discrimination

Diversity and Inclusion

Ethics in the Workplace

Organizations

Statistical Theory, Methods, Analysis

Theory and behavior

Publications

Journal Articles

Emily Zitek, & Claire Malcomb. (2024). Identity-Based Rivalry: A Common Identity Across Competitors Leads to Rivalry Perceptions and Better Performance. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. (DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430224128443)
Joonyoung Kim, Emily Zitek, & Caitlin M. Stroup. (2025). The Power of Words: Employee Responses to Numerical vs. Narrative Performance Feedback. Academy of Management Discoveries.
Rachel Schlund, & Emily Zitek. (2024). Algorithmic versus human surveillance leads to lower perceptions of autonomy and increased resistance. Communications Psychology, 2(Article number: 53 (2024)).
Emily Zitek, Laura M. Giurge, & Isaac H. Smith. (2023). Recognizing and Correcting Positive Bias: The Salient Victim Effect. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 109. (DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2023.104522)
Emily Zitek, & Alexander Jordan. (2020). Individuals Higher in Psychological Entitlement Respond to Bad Luck with Anger. Personality & Individual Differences, 168. (DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110306)
Jessica Graber, & Emily Zitek. (2021). Reducing Criminal Record Discrimination Through Banning the Box: The Importance of Timing and Explanation in the Reveal of a Drug Conviction . Psychology, Crime & Law.
Emily Zitek, & Rachel J. Schlund. (2021). Psychological Entitlement Predicts Noncompliance with the Health Guidelines of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Personality & Individual Differences, 171.
James Wirth, Ashley Allen, & Emily Zitek. (2020). Feeling Like a Burden: Self-Compassion Buffers Against the Negative Effects of a Poor Performance . Social Psychology, 51(4), 219-238. (DOI:https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000411)
Emily Zitek, & L. Taylor Phillips. (2020). Ease and control: The cognitive benefits of hierarchy. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 131-135.
Emily Zitek, & Alexander H. Jordan. (2019). Psychological Entitlement Predicts Failure to Follow Instructions. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 10(2), 172-180.
Sebastian M Deri, & Emily Zitek. (2017). Did You Reject Me for Someone Else? Rejections That are Comparative Feel Worse. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(12), 1675-1685.
Emily Zitek, & Alexander H. Jordan. (2016). Narcissism Predicts Support for Hierarchy (At Least When Narcissists Think They Can Rise to the Top). Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(7), 707-716. (DOI:10.1177/1948550616649241)
Emily Zitek, & Lynne Vincent. (2015). Deserve and Diverge: Feeling Entitled Makes People More Creative . Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 56, 242-248. (DOI:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.10.006)
Emily Zitek, & Benoît Monin. (2013). “That’s the one I wanted”: When do competitors copy their opponents’ choices?. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43(2), 293–305.
Alexander H Jordan, & Emily Zitek. (2012). Marital status bias in perceptions of employees. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 34(5), 474-481.
Emily Zitek, & Larissa Z. Tiedens. (2012). The fluency of social hierarchy: The ease with which hierarchical relationships are seen, remembered, learned, and liked. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(1), 98-115.
Emily Zitek, & Alexander H. Jordan. (2011). Technical fouls predict performance outcomes in the NBA . Athletic Insight, 13, 29-39.
Emily Zitek, Alexander H. Jordan, Benoît Monin, & Frederick R. Leach. (2010). Victim entitlement to behave selfishly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(2), 245-255.
Emily Zitek, & Michelle R Hebl. (2007). The role of social norm clarity in the influenced expression of prejudice over time. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(6), 867-876.

Trade Publication

Alex Jordan, & Emily Zitek. (2021). Entitled People Are More Likely To Be Angry at Bad Luck.
Emily Zitek, & Alexander H. Jordan. (2016). Narcissists Don't Like Flat Organizations.

Book Chapters

Emily Zitek. (2019). Give Them an Inch, and They’ll Expect a Mile: The Effects of Authority Leniency on Subordinate Entitlement. In Advances in Group Processes. (pp. 117-139). Emerald Publishing Limited.

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