Affirmative action. Psychological data and the policy debates

The authors bring psychological research to bear on an examination of the policy of affirmative action. They argue that data from many studies reveal that affirmative action as a policy has more benefits than costs. Although the majority of pro-affirmative action arguments in the social sciences stress diversity, the authors ’ argument focuses on issues of merit. The merit-based argument, grounded in empirical studies, concludes that the policy of affirmative action conforms to the American ideal of fairness and is a necessary policy. Over the last decade, affirmative action has be-come an increasingly controversial policywithin the United States. Proposition 209 (1996) in California and Initiative 200 (1998) in the state of Washington rendered preferential treatment based on de-mographic characteristics illegal, and both laws have been cast as anti-affirmative action measures (Chávez, 1998). Meanwhile, various federal district and appellate courts have rendered different, even conflicting, opinions about the legality of affirmative action plans at the University o