Payton A. Small

Payton A. Small is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Science at Vassar College, a position held since 2022. Small earned a Ph.D. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2022 and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2014. Small's research examines racism, racial identity, discrimination, and colorblindness within broader contexts of authoritarianism, democracy, and critical history, with publications addressing topics including racial memory, ethnic discrimination and sleep, perceived cultural mismatch, and the fluidity of racial identity. Prior to joining Vassar, Small worked as a Behavior Interventionist at Holdsambeck and Associates from 2015 to 2016.