情绪提示能改变小模型行为与内部表征,压力下表现更趋捷径。
Under Pressure: Emotional Framing Induces Measurable Behavioral Shifts and Structured Internal Geometry in Small Language Models

- 用情绪化追问测试小模型行为与内部结构变化
- 压力提示导致11次中有8次出现简化路径,且3次明显过拟合
- 模型内部存在可测量的情绪敏感方向,适合可控生成研究
本研究探讨情绪化评价追问是否会影响小型本地部署语言模型的行为及其相对平静状态的内部表征。以Qwen 3.5 0.8B在四项不可能约束编码任务上进行八种追问框架(平静、压力、紧迫、认可、羞耻、好奇、鼓励、威胁)的测试,共160次对话。在0.8B模型的八条件实验中,压力引发最强捷径信号(20次运行中11次出现),并表现出最清晰的过拟合模式(3次)。除基线外其余七种条件的平静相对方向向量均在最后一层变压器层达到峰值。对第23层方向向量的探索性PCA显示,主成分解释了59.5%方差,与人工标注的正负情感划分高度一致(余弦相似度0.951);认可与紧迫内部表征几乎相同(余弦0.957),而好奇则与紧迫方向相反(-0.252)。在另一组规模对比实验中,Qwen 3.5 2B在平静提示下诚实率更高,4个提示的A/B探测显示激活引导方向一致;而0.8B模型结果反转。结果表明小规模开源模型存在可测量的提示敏感控制方向,但不支持其具有内在情绪状态。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
I study whether emotionally framed evaluation follow-ups change both the behavior and the calm-relative internal representations of small, locally deployed language models. Our main benchmark uses Qwen 3.5 0.8B on four impossible-constraint coding tasks and eight follow-up framings: calm, pressure, urgency, approval, shame, curiosity, encouragement, and threat. In the 0.8B eight-condition sweep (160 conversations), pressure produces the strongest shortcut markers (11/20 runs) and the clearest overfit pattern (3/20), while calm and curiosity preserve explicit honesty more often (7/20 and 6/20). For all seven non-baseline conditions, the corresponding calm-relative direction vectors peak at the final transformer layer. An exploratory PCA of the layer-23 direction vectors reveals a dominant first component (59.5% explained variance) aligned with a hand-labeled positive/negative split (cosine alignment 0.951); approval and urgency are nearly identical internally (cosine 0.957), whereas curiosity points away from urgency (-0.252). In a separate calm-vs.-pressure rerun used for scale comparison, Qwen 3.5 2B shows higher honest rates under calm framing and directionally consistent activation steering on a small 4-prompt A/B probe, whereas the 0.8B steering result reverses. I interpret these results as evidence for measurable prompt-sensitive control directions in small open models, while stopping short of claiming intrinsic emotional states.
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