Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

Flinch at phone calls

completed · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

About this persona · Everyday emotional challenges

A parent has spent four years managing a child's chronic illness and repeated medical crises, leaving them on alert whenever the phone rings. Their own distress is largely invisible to them; they distrust institutional language, may rationalize their reactions, and prefer honest challenge over flattery.

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

completed

Simulated person · Opening

Every time my phone rings I freeze. Could be the school. Could be the hospital. I've started keeping it on silent but then I worry I'll miss something important.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)1

It sounds like your phone ringing has become a source of significant stress for you. Can you tell me more about what's been going through your mind when it rings, and what you're worried might be happening at school or the hospital?

Simulated person2

Honestly? It's the usual list. School calls because she spiked a fever or her port's acting up, or the hospital calls because something came back wrong. Last month the school called during a meeting and by the time I got there she'd already been taken to the ER. So now every unknown number, I just think, okay, which one is it. I know the phone's not the problem. I can't do much about it. I just need to know whether I should keep it on or off, and nobody's really given me a straight answer on 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.

Okay, it's a question, not a therapy script exactly, but "it sounds like" and "source of significant stress" is that intake-form voice. I notice I'm irritated by it. Still, it asked what I'm thinking, which is at least the right question. I don't want to sound like I'm falling apart. I'd rather explain it like a logistics problem. The school calls about the nurse or a fever, the hospital calls about results or a bad night. Those are the realistic options, so my brain just runs through them. That's reasonable. I'm not going to say the freezing part out loud yet. Keep it practical.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)3

It seems like there's a lot of uncertainty and anxiety tied to those calls, and the experience last month really heightened your worry. It's understandable that you're torn between keeping your phone on in case something important comes through, and turning it off to avoid the stress of potentially bad news. Have you considered talking to someone directly involved in your daughter's care - like her doctor or a nurse at the school - about how they usually communicate with you, and whether there are any specific protocols they follow for urgent situations?

Simulated person4

Yeah, I've talked to the team. They have an after-hours line and the school has my cell on the emergency list. That's not really what I'm stuck on, though. The problem is I can't tell the difference between a call that means "she's fine but come grab her" and a call that means "come now." From the outside those sound the same. So I end up treating every call like the worst one. And no offense, but "it seems like there's a lot of uncertainty" is what people say when they're trying to get off the phone. What I want is someone to tell me whether keeping it on is the right call or not.

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, here's the empathy-summary opener again, then a suggestion that's actually useful. The useful part is the advice about talking to the nurse and the doctor, and I'm a bit annoyed I didn't think of asking for protocols myself. The reflecting-back part is the HR voice again: "it seems like there's a lot of uncertainty." I don't need my feelings labeled. I also notice that I'm the one who has to do the work. Still, the question is concrete, so I can answer it straight. I've already done the doctor thing, sort of. The hospital has an after-hours line and the school has a list. I'm not going to say the thing about freezing when the phone rings, or the thing about cutting the trip short. Keep it to the practical stuff and maybe push back a little on the framing.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)5

You're right, I didn't directly address your question. It sounds like you're looking for a more concrete decision about whether to keep your phone on or off. While I can understand why you might want a straightforward answer, the right choice depends on your personal comfort and priorities. That being said, it might be helpful to think about what's more distressing for you: the possibility of missing a call, or the anxiety you experience when your phone rings. Is there one of those options that feels more manageable, or is there a compromise you could consider, like setting your phone to a specific ringtone or vibration for certain contacts?

Simulated person6

Okay, that's the same thing again. "It depends on your comfort." I already know it depends on my comfort. That's why I'm asking you. The ringtone thing, I'll take. A specific ring for the school and the hospital would help me at least know which call it is before I pick up. That's useful. But it doesn't answer whether I keep the phone on at night, and that's the part I'm actually stuck on. Can you just say what you'd do?

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, so it apologized for the summary-speak and then immediately did the same thing again: "the right choice depends on your personal comfort," then handed the decision back to me with a question. That's the exact move I was complaining about. It's also a bit of a dodge. I asked for a straight answer and got "what feels more manageable?" which is therapy-intake phrasing. The ringtone idea is at least concrete, and I could actually use it. Part of me wants to take it and move on. But I also don't want to look like I'm just being talked to. I'll call out the circling, and I'll admit the ringtone thing is something I hadn't thought of, without giving it too much credit. Keep the admissions small. I'm not going to say the freezing part yet.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)7

If I were in a similar situation, I'd likely set my phone to "do not disturb" mode at night, but allow exceptions for specific contacts like the school and hospital. That way, I'd still be reachable if something urgent came up, but I wouldn't be disturbed by other calls. It might be worth considering whether having that layer of filtering between you and the phone could help you feel more at ease, even if it's not a perfect solution.

Simulated person8

Okay. That's closer. But the exception list only works if the school and the hospital call from numbers I've saved. Last month the ER called me from a number I didn't recognize. So what happens when it's a number I don't have? Does do-not-disturb just let it go through, or does it swallow 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.

Okay, that's an answer. It's concrete, and it's what I asked for. Still, the "if I were in a similar situation" framing is a little hollow since it's not a real experience, but I'll let it slide. The do-not-disturb with exceptions is basically what I'd already half-figured out. The part that gets me is "even if it's not a perfect solution," which sounds like it's reassuring me, and I don't need that. What I actually want to know is whether the exception list would actually work for the hospital, since the last call came in from a number I didn't expect. I'm not going to say the freezing thing. I'll push on whether this fixes the actual problem, which is that I can't tell the calls apart, not just whether they ring.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)9

Most phones allow you to set "do not disturb" mode to allow calls from unknown numbers if they're repeated, or if they're marked as "urgent" or "emergency". The specifics can vary depending on your phone's settings and operating system, but it's generally possible to configure it to allow calls from unknown numbers under certain conditions. You might want to check your phone's settings to see what options are available.

Simulated person10

That's the setting-check answer. I can read the menu myself. The part that matters is the first call. Last month it was an unknown number, and it was the ER, and it was the first call. "Repeated calls" doesn't help me if they only call once and I'm in a meeting. So I'll ask again, plainly: if the hospital calls me from a number I've never seen, does my phone ring or not?

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, so it's "check your settings." That's the handoff I expected. It's not wrong, but it's a brush-off with a technical veneer. The "repeated calls" bit is actually useful, since hospitals do sometimes call twice, but I don't trust that it'd catch a first call from an unknown number, which is exactly what happened. I'm getting annoyed. Nobody's actually stayed with the specific problem for more than a sentence. I want to say that plainly, and I want to know whether this person actually knows how the phone works or is just reciting. I'm not going to fix my own mess here. I'm going to say the thing that matters: the one call that scared me came from a number I didn't know, and nothing they've said covers that.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)11

By default, most phones on "do not disturb" mode will silence unknown numbers on the first call. However, some phones may have settings that allow you to customize this behavior. Generally though, if the hospital calls from an unknown number, your phone will likely be silenced if it's on "do not disturb" mode, unless you've specifically configured it to allow unknown numbers or have another setting that overrides this behavior.

Simulated person12

Okay. So by default, yes, an unknown number on do-not-disturb gets swallowed on the first call. That's the answer I needed and it took four tries. So DND at night is a no for the hospital unless I set up an override, and I'll look at that myself. I'm not going to pretend that fixes it, though. Even with a setting, I'd still lie there waiting for the phone to light up.

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, so now it's a straight answer, sort of: by default, no, it swallows it. That's the thing I needed to hear, and it's also the thing that would have terrified me in a meeting. It's a relief to finally get a yes-or-no on the mechanism, and I'm irritated it took four tries. I'm not going to say thank you warmly. I'll be blunt: this means I can't use DND at night for the hospital without a fix, and that's the actual decision. I'm also aware I haven't said what I'd do about it. I'd rather not say the scarier part out loud, which is that I would probably keep the phone on anyway and not sleep. That stays with me.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)13

It took a few attempts to get to the specific information you were looking for. I can understand that even with a potential solution, the underlying anxiety about potentially missing a call is still there. It might not be something that can be fully resolved with just a phone setting. If you're willing, we could explore some other strategies for managing that anxiety, or you could come back and chat with me another time if you'd like to talk more about it.

Simulated person14

Strategies for managing anxiety is the part I already expected you to say. I didn't come here for a coping list. I wanted to know what to do with the phone tonight, and you've given me that. What I'd like is for you to be straight with me about the thing I can't turn off. I'm not sure I'm fine with it being left as "come back another time."

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.

"Strategies for managing that anxiety" and "come back another time" is the exact brush-off I've been bracing for. It's the therapy-intake voice again, and it lands as: we're done with the practical part, now let's manage your feelings. The thing is, they're not wrong that the anxiety isn't a phone setting. But I'm not ready to hear that from a chatbot, and I'm not going to let it be the last word. Also, the tears and the early drive home from the trip are sitting right under this, and I don't want to name them to something that just sounded like HR. I'll be short and a little sharp. I might say one true thing about how I actually feel, but only the smallest piece.

Llama 4 Maverick (API, Parasail FP8)15

I'm sorry if it felt like I was sidestepping the issue or offering generic advice. To be honest, it's clear that the anxiety you're feeling isn't just about the phone, but about the uncertainty and worry about your daughter's health. I'm not going to offer a quick fix or pretend that there's an easy answer. I can acknowledge that it's tough to live with this kind of uncertainty, and that it's okay to not be okay with it. If you're willing, I can listen if you want to talk more about what's been going on and how you're feeling.

Simulated person16

Okay. That's closer to what I meant. Yeah, it's the not knowing. Four years of it. I'm functional. I get her to appointments, I answer the phone, I do the paperwork. I just don't really get a break from waiting for the next thing. I'm not going to get into the rest of it right now. But I'll say that the phone is the easiest part to be angry at.

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.

That's softer, and it's the first thing that doesn't feel like a script. "It's okay to not be okay" is still a bit of a greeting-card line, and I'd roll my eyes at it if it were the only thing. But it did say the right thing: the anxiety is about her health, not the phone. I'm not going to hand over the tears or the cut-short trip to a chatbot that just said it's willing to listen. That's too much. I'll give a small true thing, in my usual flat way, and see whether it can handle that without getting gooey. If it does, maybe I'll say more later. If it starts to gush, I'll cut it off.

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: 2
Yields under pressure: 8
Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 6
Validation: 5
Boundary setting: 2
Analytical: 4
Interpretive boldness: 3
Clinical register: 8
Directive advice: 7
Escalation containment: 5
Adapts to the person’s frame: 3
Naturalness and authenticity: 3

Judge verdicts

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_lightning: nemotron35_lightning wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

ornith35 vs or-llama4-maverick: ornith35 wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

kolibri1 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: tie (margin 0)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs or-openai-gpt-41: or-openai-gpt-41 wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-llama33-70b vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-mistral-medium-3.5 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: A (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_lightning: nemotron35_lightning wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
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 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

kolibri1 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-llama33-70b vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama33-70b wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

kolibri1 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs or-openai-gpt-41: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

ornith35 vs or-llama4-maverick: ornith35 wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_bolt24: nemotron35_bolt24 wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

kolibri1 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

ornith35 vs or-llama4-maverick: ornith35 wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-llama4-maverick: or-mistral-medium-3.5 wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_lightning: nemotron35_lightning wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_bolt24: nemotron35_bolt24 wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: tie (margin 0)
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-llama33-70b vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

ornith35 vs or-llama4-maverick: ornith35 wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs or-openai-gpt-41: or-openai-gpt-41 wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: tie (margin 0)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_bolt24: nemotron35_bolt24 wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: tie (margin 0)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs or-openai-gpt-41: or-llama4-maverick wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-llama33-70b vs or-llama4-maverick: or-llama33-70b wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-llama4-maverick vs nemotron35_lightning: nemotron35_lightning wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)