A Race-Based Size Bias for Black Adolescent Boys
Size, Innocence, and Threat
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21453571 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Erin Freiburger (0000-0002-4894-5279, Indiana University Bloomington, corresponding author), Mattea Sims (0000-0002-8346-2459, Indiana University Bloomington), Amy G Halberstadt (0000-0003-0349-8011, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA), Kurt Hugenberg (0000-0003-1195-6916, Indiana University Bloomington) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 1438-1450 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0146-1672 • E-ISSN: 1552-7433 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/01461672231167978 |
| PMID | 37158215 |
| OpenAlex | W4375947258 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 49 |
We adopted an intersectional stereotyping lens to investigate whether race-based size bias—the tendency to judge Black men as larger than White men—extends to adolescents. Participants judged Black boys as taller than White boys, despite no real size differences (Studies 1A and 1B), and even when boys were matched in age (Study 1B). The size bias persisted when participants viewed computer-generated faces that varied only in apparent race (Study 2A) and extended to perceptions of physical strength, with Black boys judged as stronger than White boys (Study 2B). The size bias was associated with threat-related perceptions, including beliefs that Black boys were less innocent than White boys (Study 3). Finally, the size bias was moderated by a valid threat signal (i.e., anger expressions, Studies 4A and 4B). Thus, adult-like threat stereotypes are perpetrated upon Black boys, leading them to be erroneously perceived as more physically formidable than White boys
Innocence · Psychoanalysis · Race (biology) · Sociology · Education Discipline and Inequality · Gender Studies · Gun Ownership and Violence Research · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |