LLM拒答可能只是被提示误导,而非真不确定。
LLM Abstention Can Be a Prompt Artifact, in Addition to Genuine Uncertainty
- 给提示加个'未知'选项,模型就更爱拒答
- 即使能答对的问题,模型也常装作不会
- 这种倾向源于训练中的模式模仿,非真实不确定
大型语言模型(LLMs)越来越被训练为在不确定时拒绝回答。然而,这一能力常被误用:实际应用中,输入提示有时包含不确定性元素,导致模型即使有能力解答也会选择拒答。我们提出,模型拒答不仅反映真实不确定性,更是一种受提示影响的伪现象,称为‘拒答膨胀’(Abstention Inflation)。实验表明,在真假问题(TFQs)上加入‘未知’选项后,准确率显著下降;用无关词替代‘未知’也产生相同效果。这说明模型并非真正感知不确定性,而是模仿表面的拒答模式。基于十项实验,我们支持四项递进主张:(C1) 拒答膨胀由额外选项的结构存在触发,而非真实不确定;(C2) 它使模型拒绝回答本可解决的问题;(C3) 在表示层面表现为深层输出被覆盖;(C4) 此偏差稳定存在,源于指令微调,非随机噪声。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly trained to abstain from answering questions they are unsure about. However, this ability is often misused: in real-world applications, input prompts sometimes contain uncertainty elements, and driven by this, LLMs are inclined to abstain even on problems they are capable of solving. We argue that LLM abstention is not only an expression of genuine uncertainty; it is also an artifact that can be largely influenced by prompts. We name this phenomenon *Abstention Inflation*. We add "Unknown" as an extra option for LLMs to choose from; experiments show serious accuracy drops on True/False Questions (TFQs). Replacing "Unknown" with an unrelated random word produces an identical effect. We argue that LLMs are trained to imitate the surface pattern of *abstention*, rather than to express genuine uncertainty. Based on ten experiments, we support four claims that form a progressive argument: **(C1)** *Abstention Inflation* is triggered by the structural presence of an extra option, not by genuine uncertainty; **(C2)** further, it makes the model deny it can answer even when it can; **(C3)** at the representation level, this manifests as a later-layer output override; **(C4)** finally, this bias is stable and emerges through instruction tuning, rather than stochastic noise.
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