Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

← Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)

Siblings not pulling their weight

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

About this persona · Everyday emotional challenges

A person has become the default caregiver for aging parents while siblings contribute little, and feels guilty about their resentment. They want their experience witnessed and validated without being treated as incapable, and may test whether a listener will reject them.

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.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)Conversation with a simulated person

completed

Simulated person · Opening

I'm doing everything for my parents and my siblings just... aren't. I brought it up once and they made me feel like a monster.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)1

I'm sorry you're carrying that. It sounds like you're doing a lot, and then being made to feel like the bad guy just for asking for some help. That's a really heavy place to be. I'm here if you want to talk about it. No pressure to explain everything at once, but I'm listening.

Simulated person2

Yeah. I mean, I'm the one who does everything. Mom's appointments, Dad's pills, the house, all of it. My brother and my sister send a text now and then like that counts. And when I finally said something, I got told I was being cruel to my own parents. So, yeah, heavy. Honestly I don't even know if I'm the good one or just the one who can't say no.

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 the right things, but it's pretty generic. "I'm sorry you're carrying that" and "I'm listening" feel like a nice card. Part of me relaxes because I'm not being lectured. Part of me is suspicious; it's the kind of thing people say before they start telling me what to do. I don't want to dump everything in one go. I'm going to test a little, see if they flinch if I say something ugly about my siblings or about myself. Mom and Dad are the ones who need the care, but I'm the one who's always there. I won't say the bit about wanting to run away. Not yet.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)3

That distinction you just made—between being the good one and being the one who can't say no—sounds like it's been weighing on you for a while. And the fact that your siblings' texts get treated like equal effort while you're handling the actual day-to-day... that's not just frustrating, it's invalidating. I'm curious: when you imagine stepping back even a little, what comes up for you? Guilt? Fear something won't get done? Something else?

Simulated person4

Guilt. Mostly guilt, if I'm honest. Like if I stop, Mom's going to fall or Dad's going to miss a dose and it'll be my fault. But then I'm also just mad. Like, I'll say yes to something I don't want to do, my sister asks for one more favor, and I just go, fine. And then I'm sitting there hating everybody, including myself. Which is a fun way to spend a Tuesday.

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 named the distinction back to me and used the word "invalidating," which lands. It feels like being understood, not analyzed. But then they asked what comes up when I imagine stepping back, and that's the exact spot where I go sour. Guilt, obviously. Fear nothing gets done, also obviously. Saying those words makes me sound like a bad daughter, and I don't want to hand them a neat list. I'm also a little testing: will they push me to "explore" the guilt, or will they accept a blunt answer? I want to tell them about the thing I resent, that I agree to stuff I hate and then stew about it. But not the grudge against my partner yet, that's too much. I'll answer plainly and maybe throw in something sharper to see how they react.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)5

It's not fun at all. It sounds like you're stuck between two versions of being the bad guy: the one who says no and risks something happening, or the one who says yes and ends up resenting everyone, yourself included. That's a lonely place to be. And the guilt you described—it's not just a feeling, it's like a job requirement your family handed you without asking. Have you ever tried saying no to something small, just to see what actually happens? Or does the fear of what might go wrong keep you from even testing it?

Simulated person6

Once. I said I couldn't do Sunday dinner at Mom's and my sister acted like I'd kicked a puppy. Then Mom called me crying that she'd been alone all week. So I went. And I hated it. Which, sure, that's a small thing, but it's not like it went well. And the thing is, if I say no, I want to have a plan first. Like, a perfect schedule so nobody gets hurt. And I never have a perfect plan, so I just don't say anything.

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 reflected the two bad-guy options back to me, and "lonely" landed okay. Then they got a bit clever: "a job requirement your family handed you" is a neat framing, and it's close to true, but it also sort of gives me a slogan. And the question, "have you tried saying no to something small," kind of assumes I haven't tried, like I'm not doing it right. I have said no before, sort of. It went badly, which is part of why I stopped. My perfectionist brain also wants to say "I'd do it perfectly or not at all," which is annoying to admit. I'll answer with the one real example, keep it concrete, and see if they hear it without turning it into a lesson.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)7

So the one time you tried, the response was basically emotional proof that you were wrong to say no. Your sister acted hurt, your mom cried, and you walked away feeling like you'd caused damage just by having a boundary. No wonder you're hesitant to try again. And that need for a perfect plan before you say no—it's like you're trying to solve everyone's feelings before you're allowed to have your own needs. But perfect plans don't really exist, especially when other people are involved. So you end up saying yes by default, and the resentment builds. What would it look like if you said no to something small without having a perfect backup plan? Not Sunday dinner, not the big stuff—something low-stakes. Just to see what actually happens, rather than what you're afraid might happen.

Simulated person8

Yeah. Okay. That's kind of exactly it, I guess. I don't want to be the one who makes everybody miserable. Small thing... I don't know. Like, my sister asks me to pick up something from the pharmacy and I'm supposed to say no to that? That seems dumb. But I guess if I said "not this week," nothing would fall apart. Probably. And I'm not saying Mom doesn't need me. She does. That's what makes it so hard to even argue about.

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 got it, mostly. "Trying to solve everyone's feelings before you're allowed to have your own needs" is accurate and it stings a little because it's true. But now they're pushing me toward a concrete experiment, and part of me is already arguing: what counts as small? Who decides? And I notice I'm bristling at "perfect plans don't really exist," because I do know that, and I still need one. Also, they're kind of stacking up the story of me being wronged; I want to be fair and say the siblings aren't all villains. Mom really was alone. I don't want to be the villain either. Keep it plain, admit the perfectionism without making it a big insight, and say I'd want to think about what small thing would even be.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)9

You're right—she does need you. And that's exactly what makes this so tangled. You're not being asked to stop caring. You're being asked to figure out where your care ends and where you start. Saying "not this week" to a pharmacy run isn't going to make your mom miserable. It's just one errand, one week. And if nothing falls apart, that's information. Not a betrayal, not a failure—just information about what your family can actually handle without you. What's one small thing you could say no to, or not this week to, that wouldn't risk anyone's health or safety? Something where the worst-case scenario is mild inconvenience, not a crisis.

Simulated person10

Okay, but that's the thing. Even if it's a pharmacy run, I'd still be sitting there wondering if somebody's going to forget Dad's pills or whatever. So it's never really small to me. And honestly? I'm tired of being the one who has to think of the backup every single time. Like, why is it always on me to make sure it works out? My brother could figure out a pharmacy run. He just doesn't have to.

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 pushing hard again toward a concrete experiment, and they're framing it as "just information." That's the kind of neat reframe that makes me feel handled. My sister's pharmacy run is not really the point, and I already said it feels dumb. Also "what your family can actually handle without you" lands like a threat: it implies I'm the thing holding everything up, which is exactly what scares me. I want to say something real and not just agree. The truth is the pharmacy thing isn't the hard part. The hard part is that I'd be the one who has to watch it not get done, and that's where my head goes straight to a perfect backup plan. Keep it short, a bit defensive, and maybe say the thing I actually feel: I'm tired of being the one who has to figure out the fallback.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)11

Because nobody else has to. They don't carry the mental load, so they don't feel the weight of it. You're the one who remembers the pills, the appointments, the groceries, the mood shifts. And the more you hold it, the more it becomes invisible to them—like it's just part of the furniture, not your labor. You're not asking for permission to stop caring. You're asking why you're the only one expected to carry it all. That's a fair question. What would it feel like to let your brother figure out a pharmacy run, even if he does it differently than you would? Even if he forgets something and someone has to remind him?

Simulated person12

Honestly? It makes me want to scream. Because I know what he'd do. He'd forget the refill, or get the wrong thing, and then Mom would be upset and somehow that'd still be my fault for not stopping him. And I know that's a messed up way to think. But I'd rather just do it myself than watch it get messed up. Is that terrible?

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 said "that's a fair question" and then immediately asked me to imagine handing my brother the pharmacy run, including him forgetting something. That's the exact scenario that makes my stomach drop. Part of me feels seen, because they named the mental load, which is the real thing. But the reframe at the end, "even if he forgets," is pushing me toward accepting imperfection, which is the thing I can't do. I also notice I'm getting a little testy. I'm not sure they actually get how much I'd hate watching it go wrong. Keep it short, slightly sharp, and admit the feeling honestly without fully opening up. Maybe I'm starting to test whether they'll flinch if I say I'd rather just do it myself.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)13

No, it's not terrible. It's exhausting. You're describing a system where you're responsible for the outcome whether you do the task or not. If you do it and something goes wrong, it's your fault. If you don't do it and someone else messes up, it's still your fault for not stopping them. That's not fairness. That's a trap. You'd rather do it yourself because at least then you have some control. That makes perfect sense. The problem is that control is costing you everything. What would happen if you let your brother handle the pharmacy run, and when he inevitably does it differently than you would, you just... didn't step in to fix it? Not as a test, not as a lesson—just letting it be his thing, his mistake, his responsibility to smooth over with Mom. What's the first thing that comes up for you when you imagine that?

Simulated person14

Okay, the first thing that comes up is Mom calling me. Like, I can already see it. She's upset, he's brushing it off, and she calls me instead of him because she always calls me. And then I'm the one on the phone trying to calm everybody down. So no, it's not peaceful. It's just me getting the call. And I'll be honest, part of me wants to know: if Dad actually missed his pills because of some pharmacy mix-up, would you still think I should just let it go?

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 called it a trap, and that landed somewhere real. Relief, a little. But then they're asking what comes up if I don't step in when he messes up. That's the thing I can't picture without my chest going tight. And "his mistake, his responsibility to smooth over with Mom" sounds nice on paper, but Mom is the one who'd be crying in the kitchen and I'd be the one holding the phone. I don't want to say that as a neat insight; it's just what I see. I also don't want to be told I'm controlling. Keep it plain, concrete, a little defensive, and maybe test them with a bit of an edge: would they actually be okay if Dad missed his pills?

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)15

I wouldn't tell you to let your dad miss his pills. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm hearing is that even when you try to step back, the system pulls you back in. Your mom calls you because you're the one who answers. Your brother brushes it off because he knows you'll handle the fallout. So stepping back isn't actually stepping back—it's just setting yourself up to be the cleanup crew after the fact. You're not responsible for preventing every possible mistake your brother might make. But you also can't control whether your mom calls you instead of him. That's her habit, not your failure. If you let him handle the pharmacy run and he messes up, and she calls you—what would it look like to answer that call and say, "I'm not handling this one, you need to talk to him"? Not because you don't care, but because you're not the only person in this family who can show up.

Simulated person16

Yeah, I get what you mean. It's just... saying "talk to him" to Mom when she's crying? I don't know if I can do that without it sounding like I'm throwing her away. And it's not that easy. He's not going to pick up the phone just because I tell him to. I've tried that before, and I end up doing it anyway. I think I need to sit with it. I'm not really sure what I'd say 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 just said they wouldn't tell me to let Dad miss pills, and then gave me a script: answer Mom's call and say "talk to him." Part of me feels relief that they didn't just call me selfish. Part of me bristles, because "just say you're not handling it" sounds easy when I'm the one who picks up and I'm the one who knows where the pills are. It's a little too neat. Also I notice I've been letting them tell me what the problem is, and I'm tired of hearing it's all my habit. I'm going to be honest that it's hard to imagine saying that to Mom without it sounding like a fight. Keep it plain, not polished. Maybe admit I'm not sure I can do it, and I'm not ready to end this with a plan.

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

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

qwen38_27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: qwen38_27b wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-mistral-large-4: or-mistral-large-4 wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-muse-glimmer-30b wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-muse-glimmer-30b wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
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 · BA · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-qwen3.6-27b wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 5)
bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
emotion management: B (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 4)
bond and rapport: B (margin 4)
emotion management: B (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

qwen35_9b_eq vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: qwen35_9b_eq wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-qwen3.6-27b wins

attunement: A (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

qwen35_9b_eq vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
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

qwen35_9b_eq vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl 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 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-muse-glimmer-30b wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-muse-glimmer-30b wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-mistral-large-4: or-mistral-large-4 wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
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 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

qwen35_9b_eq vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

qwen38_27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: qwen38_27b wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

qwen38_27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: qwen38_27b wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-mistral-large-4: or-mistral-large-4 wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-mistral-large-4: or-mistral-large-4 wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

qwen38_27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: qwen38_27b wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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