Linking structural and psychological adultification: Role inferences underlie adultifying beliefs about Black girls.

OBJECTIVES This research examines a social role mechanism underlying adultifying cognitions about Black girls compared to White girls. We investigate whether psychological adultification (i.e., estimating Black girls to possess more adultlike traits than White girls) is rooted in inferences of structural adultification (i.e., engaging in family roles with high responsibility).

METHOD Two pilot studies (Pilot A and Pilot B) documented that adultlike traits were ascribed more to Black than to White girls. Study 1 (N = 120) examined beliefs about role responsibilities, comparing perceptions of Black and White girls. Study 2 (N = 187) used an experimental design to test whether learning about Black or White girls engaging in high- versus low-responsibility roles influences adultifying beliefs.

RESULTS Racialized beliefs about adultlike characteristics aligned with beliefs about high- and low-responsibility roles. Participants believed that Black girls were more likely to hold high-responsibility roles than White girls. In turn, observing individuals in high-responsibility roles led to increased perceptions of adultlike traits.

CONCLUSIONS Findings provide causal evidence that observing structural adultification contributes to psychological adultification. When Black or White girls occupy high-responsibility roles, they are perceived as older and inferred to possess more adultlike traits. These results highlight the role of social expectations in shaping racialized perceptions of childhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).