Diagnostic negativity in stereotypes

A cognitive‑ecological account argues stereotypes skew negative because positive traits are common but similar across groups, while negative traits are rarer and more diverse, making negative attributes more diagnostic for distinguishing groups. Empirical tests and simulations show that rare negative attributes can systematically appear as 'characteristic' of groups even though they apply to only a minority of members. — This reframes anti‑bias policy and public debate by shifting the explanation for negative stereotype content from moral hostility to information structure, changing how interventions should be designed and evaluated.