Colorblindness Undermines the Translational Value of Psychological Science

Colorblindness may undermine the effective translation of psychological research findings to policy insights. Colorblindness, the ideological position that race should be ignored, may shape psychological research to the extent that psychologists assume that race does not matter to an understanding of human thought and behavior. This assumption creates a large gap between psychological research and the lived experiences of U.S. individuals, for whom resources, wealth, and opportunities are frequently contingent on racial group membership. This article suggests that colorblindness in psychology 1) increases the likelihood that policies aligned with psychological findings will exacerbate inequality rather than address racial disparities, 2) reduces the relevance of policy insights from psychological research to people of color, and 3) reduces the relevance of policy insights from psychological research to White individuals. Recommendations for deriving racially equitable and conscious policy insights from psychology are discussed.