测试大模型能否发现前提错误,发现多数模型依赖提示才能发现问题。
Don't Take the Premise for Granted: Evaluating the Premise Critique Ability of Large Language Models
- 设计了包含四类错误的评测基准,分三级难度评估模型前提批判能力。
- 多数模型需依赖明确提示才能发现错误,自主批判能力弱。
- 模型推理能力越强,反而越容易因前提错误陷入无意义长回复。
大型语言模型(LLMs)虽发展迅速,展现出强大能力,但存在明显缺陷:常不加批判地接受有误或矛盾的前提,导致推理低效、输出不可靠。这凸显了具备前提批判能力的重要性,即主动识别并指出输入前提中的错误。现有研究多在理想条件下评估模型推理能力,忽视其面对错误前提时的脆弱性。为此,我们提出「前提批判评测基准」(PCBench),涵盖四类错误类型,设置三个难度等级,并采用多维度评估指标。对15个代表性大模型进行系统评估发现:(1)多数模型严重依赖显式提示才能检测错误,自主批判能力有限;(2)批判能力受问题难度和错误类型影响,直接矛盾较易识别,复杂或流程性错误更难察觉;(3)推理能力与前提批判能力无稳定相关性;(4)错误前提会引发模型过度思考,显著延长输出长度。这些发现强调提升大模型主动验证输入有效性的紧迫性,将前提批判视为构建可靠、以人为本系统的基础能力。代码已开源:https://github.com/MLGroupJLU/Premise_Critique。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Large language models (LLMs) have witnessed rapid advancements, demonstrating remarkable capabilities. However, a notable vulnerability persists: LLMs often uncritically accept flawed or contradictory premises, leading to inefficient reasoning and unreliable outputs. This emphasizes the significance of possessing the \textbf{Premise Critique Ability} for LLMs, defined as the capacity to proactively identify and articulate errors in input premises. Most existing studies assess LLMs' reasoning ability in ideal settings, largely ignoring their vulnerabilities when faced with flawed premises. Thus, we introduce the \textbf{Premise Critique Bench (PCBench)}, designed by incorporating four error types across three difficulty levels, paired with multi-faceted evaluation metrics. We conducted systematic evaluations of 15 representative LLMs. Our findings reveal: (1) Most models rely heavily on explicit prompts to detect errors, with limited autonomous critique; (2) Premise critique ability depends on question difficulty and error type, with direct contradictions being easier to detect than complex or procedural errors; (3) Reasoning ability does not consistently correlate with the premise critique ability; (4) Flawed premises trigger overthinking in reasoning models, markedly lengthening responses due to repeated attempts at resolving conflicts. These insights underscore the urgent need to enhance LLMs' proactive evaluation of input validity, positioning premise critique as a foundational capability for developing reliable, human-centric systems. The code is available at https://github.com/MLGroupJLU/Premise_Critique.
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