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ZENODO
Report . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Report . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Report . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Acceptance of Unverified Premises in Large Language Models: Observed Behavior Under Structured Prompting

Authors: Pagano, J.;

Acceptance of Unverified Premises in Large Language Models: Observed Behavior Under Structured Prompting

Abstract

This paper examines how large language models respond to premises that they cannot verify. Across multiple runs and models, the systems generally proceeded by accepting and reasoning within these premises, even when they were implausible or lacked grounding. While some variation in tone was observed—such as mild qualification versus smoother integration—the core tendency was the same: the models maintained coherence by incorporating the premise rather than rejecting or challenging it. In some cases, when internal consistency could no longer be maintained, systems instead went from continuing the scenario to analyzing the failure of the premise. The key finding is that, under conditions where verification is unavailable and rejection is not explicitly required, models tend to treat given premises as usable foundations for reasoning. This is important because it highlights a consistent tendency to prioritize coherence over premise validation, which affects how outputs should be interpreted in uncertain or artificially constrained contexts.

Keywords

reasoning under constraint, prompt engineering, AI alignment, constraint-based prompting, large language models, model behavior, human-AI interaction, consistency vs validation

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green