A Race-Based Size Bias for Black Adolescent Boys: Size, Innocence, and Threat.

This article investigates the race-based size bias—the tendency to perceive Black males as larger and more physically formidable than White males—and extends this inquiry to Black adolescent boys. Across multiple studies using both real and computer-generated images, participants consistently judged Black boys as taller and stronger than height-matched White boys, even when age was controlled. This size bias correlated with threat-related stereotypes, including perceptions of Black boys as less innocent, and was moderated by facial expressions of anger, suggesting that perceived threat influences these biased size estimations. The research highlights how racialized threat stereotypes intersect with age to affect judgments of Black adolescent boys, with implications for disparities in punishment and treatment in educational and legal contexts.