Thread
The "It Depends" Problem
Same instruction, opposite results. Specificity is the lever. Context redirects, not informs. The measurement itself was wrong.
Answered Constraints produce opposite effects depending on task type (d=2.34 convergent, harmful in exploratory). Negation alone is null; specificity provides the destination. The strongest specificity effect (d=2.34) was three confounds stacked; honest magnitude is d=1.37.
Open Where exactly is the boundary between convergent and exploratory tasks? Domain experts can't distinguish specific from generic output on quality. Specificity changes form, not substance.
Same Technique, Opposite Results
The structured approach that produced precision on convergent problems actively harmed exploratory ones.
More Context Barely Helps
Adding information to an already-thorough prompt produced near zero improvement. Three constraint sentences changed everything.
The Most-Cited Finding Was Wrong
The most-cited effect across 80+ experiments was three effects stacked. Honest magnitude: 40% smaller.