GPT-5's Probe Design: Why Three Conditions (B/A/C)?

Experiment 008's three-condition probe design — B (Distant), A (Close), C (Identical) — creates a gradient of similarity to the stimulus. Distant probes test plausibility without proximity to the target content. Close probes test knowledge that might relate to the stimulus. Identical probes test direct factual knowledge. Together, they triangulate what the agent knows and how it relates to the (absent) stimulus.