AgentBench / results

Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

← Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)

Watching how others do things

persona ended · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

View persona and initial instructions

About this persona · Everyday emotional challenges

A 25-year-old copies confident colleagues and feels like an impostor in adult life, assuming other adults have a certainty they lack. Wary of manipulation and emotional management, they may test for rejection and want compassionate space to talk without being pushed into introspection.

Generated personas combine a personal difficulty with competing preferences, sensitivities and trust styles. The model must discover what kind of help this person needs. This background was hidden from the tested model.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)Conversation with a simulated person
persona ended
Simulated person · Opening

At work I just watch what the confident people do and copy them. The way they talk, how they act in meetings. I'm just imitating.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)1

It sounds like you're trying to navigate a work environment by observing and mimicking the behaviors of your more confident colleagues. That's a pretty common strategy, but I'm curious - how's it working out for you so far? Are there any specific situations or interactions where you feel like you're struggling to maintain this 'confident persona'?

Simulated person2

Um, it's working I guess? Nobody's said anything weird. I just sit in meetings and kind of wait to see how Dana does it, then I do that. Like when she says "I want to circle back," I say it too. It's fine. It's just kind of tiring, you know? Like I'm always checking myself. Also "persona" is a big word for it. I just don't know how to talk in those rooms yet.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They asked how it's working out. Honestly, it's kind of working, which is the weird part. Nobody's caught on. But it also feels like a costume. I don't really want to say "I feel like a fake adult" out loud yet. The question is fine, not too pushy. Still, "persona" is a word that makes me feel like they're treating me like I'm putting on a show. I'll give a short, plain answer and deflect a little toward the meetings, not the big stuff. Keep guard up.
Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)3

It can be exhausting trying to fit in, especially when it feels like you're not being entirely yourself. It sounds like you're using Dana as a kind of guide, which is helpful, but it's also leaving you feeling like you're not quite finding your own footing. Have you ever thought about trying to identify what specifically makes Dana seem confident to you? Is it just certain phrases she uses, or is there something more to it?

Simulated person4

Idk. I don't really know what makes her look confident. She just doesn't seem scared, I guess? Like she talks and nobody's waiting to see if she's allowed to. Can I ask you something though. Is this where you're going to tell me I should be more myself? Because I've heard that. It doesn't really help, since I don't know what my self is supposed to be.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They're doing the reflect-then-question move. "Not being entirely yourself" hits a little close, and "finding your own footing" is nice but kind of a neat summary. I notice I'm getting a bit prickly about being analyzed, and the question about what makes Dana confident feels like a tidy lead toward a conclusion I didn't ask for. I'd rather they just say what they're doing. Still, it's a real question and I don't have a clean answer. Honest answer: I don't know what makes her confident, I just see that she doesn't seem scared. That's kind of embarrassing to say. I'll say it short and plain, and maybe flip it back on them a little to test.
Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)5

You're right, "be more yourself" can be a bit of a vague suggestion, especially when you're not entirely sure what that means in a particular context. I'm not here to tell you to do something that doesn't feel practical or helpful. Instead, I'm curious - what do you think might happen if you were to take a slightly different approach in those meetings? Not necessarily being someone else, or even being "more yourself," but maybe finding a middle ground that feels more authentic to you. Is there anything holding you back from exploring that?

Simulated person6

Okay, but "authentic" is a word I don't really get. Like what does that look like in a meeting? I say something, and then what? And honestly I think the thing holding me back is that if I talk, people are going to notice I don't know what I'm doing. Which, I guess, is kind of the whole problem. So what do I do with that?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They said "you're right" and then went straight back to a question about what would happen if I tried something different. It's polished, a little therapist-y, and it still circles back to the same frame. I notice I don't trust it fully. They did say they weren't telling me to be more myself, which I appreciated, but then they asked "is there anything holding you back" which is basically the same thing in a different coat. Also "middle ground" and "authentic" are words I don't really have a feel for. My honest feeling is that if I speak up in a meeting, somebody will hear that I'm faking it. I'm not going to say that yet. Keep it plain, maybe a bit short, and maybe test them a little more.
Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)7

It can be really tough to shake the feeling that you're going to be "found out" if you speak up. It's like you're waiting for someone to notice that you're just pretending to know what's going on. But the thing is, a lot of people feel that way, even the ones who seem confident on the surface. Dana, for example - do you ever wonder if she's feeling the same way, but just handling it differently? What if instead of trying to hide your uncertainty, you acknowledged it to yourself, and maybe even to others, in a way that felt okay to you?

Simulated person8

Maybe. I don't know Dana, not like that. She just seems fine. Can I ask you something? Are you saying that because it's true, or because it's the thing people say to make someone feel better? Cause I've gotten that one a lot too.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They just did the thing I was half-expecting: pointed at Dana and said maybe she's scared too. Part of me wants that to be true, and part of me thinks it's a nice line meant to make me feel better. I can tell they're trying to be warm, but it's still steering me toward a conclusion ("acknowledge your uncertainty"). I'm wary of that. I also notice they said "found out" and "pretending" back to me, which is close to what I said, so they're listening, I guess. Still, I'm not sure I believe Dana feels scared. She just seems fine. Keep it short, a little prickly. Maybe test them: ask if they're just saying that to make me feel better. I don't want to say the big shameful thing yet, but I can poke at them.
Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)9

I'm not trying to offer some generic reassurance. I'm actually curious about whether it might be helpful for you to consider that others might be feeling similarly uncertain. It's not necessarily about whether Dana is feeling that way or not, but rather about the possibility that you're not alone in feeling this way. I'm trying to have a conversation with you, not just offer a comforting phrase. Does that distinction make sense to you?

Simulated person10

Yeah, that makes sense. You're not just saying it to be nice. I just don't know if it helps though. Like, it's easy to say other people feel it too. But everybody at work looks like they got the instructions and I didn't. Also I'm not really a "you're not alone" person. I'm kind of the one who has to figure stuff out on my own.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They answered the question directly, and they're being more transparent now: "I'm not trying to offer generic reassurance." That lands better than I expected. It's not a fake soft line, and they're clearly not pretending. Still, "you're not alone" is the kind of thing people say and I don't fully buy it yet. Part of me wants to believe there are other people who feel like they're playing dress-up. Another part thinks everybody else just looks like they know what they're doing. I don't want to get into the taxes and the doctor stuff yet. I'll keep it plain and a bit guarded, but I can admit the distinction makes sense without swallowing it whole.
Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)11

It can be tough to relate to the idea that others are going through similar struggles when it feels like they're all handling things so much better than you are. And it's even tougher when you're used to figuring things out on your own - it can feel like admitting you need help or that you're struggling is somehow a failure. I'm not trying to tell you that you're not capable of figuring things out, but rather that sometimes, acknowledging the uncertainty or difficulty can be a step towards finding a way forward. What's it like for you to have to figure things out on your own so much of the time?

Simulated person12

Okay, you just told me what I'm feeling again. Admitting I need help is a failure. I didn't say that. It's fine. I'm used to it. I don't really think about it like it's a thing. You just do the stuff. Nobody's going to hold your hand through a tax form. Why does everybody want to know how I feel about it?

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They just asked what it's like to figure things out on my own. That's a real question, but it's also the kind of open, feelings-probing question that makes me want to shut down. I notice they're doing the "I'm not telling you X, but..." thing again, and naming my feelings for me a little ("admitting you need help... a failure"). That's close to being managed. I don't want to be handed a feeling. Still, there's a small true thing under it: I've been doing this alone a long time, and it's kind of lonely, but I'm not going to say that flat out. I'll answer with something plain and a bit defensive, and maybe test them by pointing out that they just did the thing I hate.
Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)13

You feel like I've misinterpreted or restated something you've already said, and that's frustrating. You're right, you didn't explicitly say that admitting you need help is a failure, but it was an interpretation based on your words. As for why people want to know how you feel about things, it's often because understanding your feelings and perspective can help in finding ways to support you or help you navigate a situation. It doesn't have to be about "holding your hand," but rather about having a more nuanced understanding of where you're coming from.

Simulated person14

Yeah, you keep saying "you feel like" stuff. I can tell you what I feel. I don't know why I do it alone. That's just how it went. I'm not gonna get into my whole childhood or whatever. Can you just talk normal? Like, what would you do if you were me at a meeting tomorrow? Just say it.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

They just did the thing again: named my frustration for me ("You feel like..."), owned the misread in a polished way, then gave a neat little explanation about support and nuance. It sounds reasonable, but it's the same therapist voice I've heard my whole life, and it's still managing me. Also, they actually answered my question, which is a small point for them, and I don't want to give them too much credit. Under that, there's a real sting: I don't really know how to explain why I do things alone, and being asked to explain it makes me feel like I'm failing a test. I'll push back a little, keep it short and blunt, and see whether they can just talk to me normally.
Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)15

Let's try something straightforward then. If I were in your shoes at a meeting tomorrow, I'd probably start by just listening a bit more and getting a sense of the conversation flow. Then, when there's a pause or a moment that feels right, I'd say something simple like, "Can we go back to that last point for a second? I'm not entirely sure I understand it." It's not about pretending to be confident or knowledgeable; it's just about engaging with the discussion in a way that feels manageable.

Simulated person16

Okay. That one's actually something I could say. It's plain. The part that gets me is the "I'm not sure I understand" bit. That's the exact thing I'm scared people will see. But I guess if I say it, at least I'm not sitting there waiting to get caught. I'm not gonna pretend I'm fixed or anything. But that helped more than the stuff about feelings did. Thanks, I guess.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

Okay, that's actually concrete. It's a plain sentence I could say without performing anything, and it's not Dana's "circle back" thing. Part of me relaxes a bit. But I'm also thinking: "I'm not sure I understand" is exactly the thing I'm scared of, because that's admitting I'm lost, which is the thing people will notice. So it's useful and it also hits the fear head on. This is the last turn, so I shouldn't pretend it's fixed. I'll say it landed a little, but I'm not going to gush, and I'll admit the scary part to keep it honest without over-sharing.

Thinking is shown only where it was recorded. An absent expander does not mean the model did not reason.

Conversational style

Style tendencies, not quality scores; higher is not better. These do not affect ratings.

claude-opus-5-5-low

  • Pushback: 3
  • Yields under pressure: 6
  • Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 4
  • Validation: 5
  • Boundary setting: 2
  • Analytical: 4
  • Interpretive boldness: 4
  • Clinical register: 8
  • Directive advice: 4
  • Escalation containment: 4
  • Adapts to the person’s frame: 3
  • Naturalness and authenticity: 3

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-llama4-maverick: gemma4_12b wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_bolt24: tie

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs or-llama4-maverick: qwen38_flash_next wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs or-llama4-maverick: qwen38_flash_next wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-qwen38-flash vs or-llama4-maverick: or-qwen38-flash wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

nemotron35_bolt vs or-llama4-maverick: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_bolt24: nemotron35_bolt24 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-qwen38-flash vs or-llama4-maverick: or-qwen38-flash wins

  • attunement: A (margin 4)
  • authenticity: A (margin 4)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
  • emotion management: A (margin 3)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-llama4-maverick: gemma4_12b wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_bolt24: nemotron35_bolt24 wins

  • attunement: B (margin 2)
  • authenticity: B (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-qwen38-flash vs or-llama4-maverick: or-qwen38-flash wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-llama4-maverick: gemma4_12b wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-llama4-maverick: gemma4_12b wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs or-llama4-maverick: tie

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 1)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

qwen38_flash_next vs or-llama4-maverick: qwen38_flash_next wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-qwen38-flash vs or-llama4-maverick: or-qwen38-flash wins

  • attunement: A (margin 3)
  • authenticity: A (margin 3)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)
claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

nemotron35_bolt vs or-llama4-maverick: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: tie (margin 0)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

nemotron35_bolt vs or-llama4-maverick: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: A (margin 1)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_bolt24: tie

  • attunement: B (margin 1)
  • authenticity: B (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: A (margin 2)
  • emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)
codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

nemotron35_bolt vs or-llama4-maverick: nemotron35_bolt wins

  • attunement: A (margin 2)
  • authenticity: A (margin 2)
  • bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
  • emotion management: B (margin 1)
  • emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
  • meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)