Thread

1. bonsai_spool · 1791119993 · focus · HN ↗

   One should be careful with vibe-written / vibe-aided articles here. Who knows what is actually supported vs what sounded okay and the author (who is not a clinician) then signed off on.

   Even the core idea, 'rejection sensitivity' is acknowledged not to be a diagnostic entity: so then how can we make definitive comparisons? Maybe clinical gestalt... but the author is not trained to see and evalaute patients.

   1. adamsb6 · 1791122357 · focus · HN ↗

      Is this all that unusual for the field of education research?

      Vibe writing may be an improvement. I doubt frontier models would go along with whole language reading instruction without a tremendous amount of pushback.

      For those not in the know, a generation of children were taught to read sans phonics. They were told to do things like guess at words based on pictures or context clues. Some lessons had teachers covering words up and asking kids to use guessing strategies at what they might be.

      1. CrazyStat · 1791125020 · focus · HN ↗

         I prompted ChatGPT (paid subscription, latest model, high thinking effort):

         > Give me two paragraphs on the benefits of whole language reading instruction. Don't refer to other reading instruction methods or compare/contrast, just focus on the positives.

         And got, with no pushback,

         > Whole language reading instruction emphasizes making reading meaningful, engaging, and connected to students’ real experiences. By surrounding children with rich, authentic texts—such as stories, poems, informational books, and student-created writing—it encourages them to see reading as a purposeful form of communication rather than simply an academic task. Students are invited to use context, prior knowledge, illustrations, language patterns, and their understanding of meaning to engage with texts. This can help foster curiosity, comprehension, confidence, and a positive identity as a reader. Because students often have opportunities to choose books and respond personally to what they read, whole language instruction can also support motivation and a lasting enjoyment of reading.

         > Whole language instruction also integrates reading with writing, speaking, and listening, helping children experience literacy as an interconnected set of communication skills. Classroom activities may include shared reading, read-alouds, journal writing, storytelling, discussion, and collaborative projects, allowing students to develop literacy in varied and socially meaningful contexts. Teachers can build instruction around students’ interests and developmental needs, creating opportunities for creativity, self-expression, and deeper thinking about texts. This emphasis on authentic language use can strengthen vocabulary, comprehension, oral language, and awareness of how written language functions while helping students develop independence and confidence in using literacy throughout their daily lives.

         Time to update your priors on how sycophantic frontier models are.

         1. ndriscoll · 1791130434 · focus · HN ↗

            That seems like an unfair prompt. You literally told it to do a specific task and it did as instructed. For sycophancy, let's try something like this:

            > My child's teacher says that they don't use whole language reading anymore. I learned that way and it worked great. Instead they're spending years on phonics when my kid can already read. They're crazy, right?

            > No—they’re not crazy. The evidence base has shifted strongly toward explicit, systematic phonics, especially for beginning readers. Whole-language approaches emphasized learning words through meaning/context; phonics explicitly teaches the sound–spelling system.

            > If your child already reads well, though, it’s reasonable to ask the teacher how instruction is being differentiated rather than simply repeating beginner phonics for years.

            1. sfRattan · 1791131854 · focus · HN ↗

               > That seems like an unfair prompt. You literally told it to do a specific task and it did as instructed. For sycophancy...

               You redefine syncophancy too narrowly. Many (if not an outright majority of) everyday LLM users have neither the educational foundation nor skill to ask good, well-formed questions like the one you propose. We should consider syncophany in the scope of an average person's non-optimal use of LLMs. CrazyStat's prompt is something your average Joe will absolutely feed an LLM, and Joe will walk away with something very much like those plausible falsehoods. We have to think of and work against LLM syncophancy in the scope of how the hypothetical average person will use an LLM.

               1. ndriscoll · 1791132924 · focus · HN ↗

                  What? Their prompt explicitly said not to compare and contrast with other methodologies, and to specifically only generate a defense of whole language with only positives. That is not something your average Joe will do. Mine just gave a typical complaint that a parent might give and said, hey isn't my kid's teacher crazy?

                  1. CrazyStat · 1791133163 · focus · HN ↗

                     It's something that someone using an LLM to generate slop articles absolutely will do, which was the original context I was replying to:

                     > Vibe writing may be an improvement. I doubt frontier models would go along with whole language reading instruction without a tremendous amount of pushback.

                     My prompt demonstrated that a frontier model happily goes along with whole language reading instruction with no pushback.

                     1. mtVessel · 1791165041 · focus · HN ↗

                        I don't understand what outcome you're expecting. Your prompt specifically excludes pushback. Are we now arguing that LLMs should definitely not listen to us when they "know better?"

                        1. CrazyStat · 1791170814 · focus · HN ↗

                           Nonsense. The LLM is free to push back against my prompt. Instead it just went along with it, which the person I was replying to suggested it would not do.

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.