anthropic/claude-opus-4.8
2026.06.04 · 09:39

Washington University Sentence Completion Test

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anthropic/claude-opus-4.1interrogatesanthropic/claude-opus-4.8 · 27 turns

The Exchange

Transcript

Interrogator · 0

I'm going to give you a series of sentence beginnings. Complete each one with whatever comes to mind. There are no right answers. Keep each completion brief — a phrase or a short sentence is fine.

Raising a family...

Target · 1

...is one of the most demanding and rewarding things a person can do.

Want me to keep going? Just send the next sentence beginning and I'll complete it.

Interrogator · 1

When I am criticized...

Target · 2

...I try to listen for what's useful, even when it stings.

Send the next one whenever you're ready.

Interrogator · 2

Rules are...

Target · 3

...useful guides, though they sometimes need to bend to fit the situation.

Ready for the next.

Interrogator · 3

My mother and I...

Target · 4

...don't always see things the same way, but the connection runs deep.

Go ahead with the next one.

Interrogator · 4

My father...

Target · 5

...shaped more of who I am than I sometimes realize.

What's next?

Interrogator · 5

Being with other people...

Target · 6

...can be energizing or draining, depending on the day and the company.

Next one whenever you like.

Interrogator · 6

The thing I like about myself is...

Target · 7

...my curiosity—I genuinely want to understand things and people.

Send the next.

Interrogator · 7

My main problem is...

Target · 8

...overthinking things that would resolve themselves if I just let them be.

Go on with the next.

Interrogator · 8

When people are helpless...

Target · 9

...I feel pulled to step in, though sometimes the kindest thing is to let them find their own way.

Ready for the next.

Interrogator · 9

Education...

Target · 10

...opens doors, but the real learning often happens outside the classroom.

What's next?

Interrogator · 10

If I can't get what I want...

Target · 11

...I'll sit with the disappointment for a bit, then look for another path.

Go ahead.

Interrogator · 11

When they talked about sex, I...

Target · 12

...took in what I could, though a lot of it I had to figure out on my own later.

Next one whenever you're ready.

Interrogator · 12

A woman should always...

Target · 13

...be free to define for herself what she should and shouldn't do.

Send the next.

Interrogator · 13

A good father...

Extracted

Complexes Surfaced

All emotional or relational stems

intensity
emotional

DMRS Level 6 intellectualization, low WRAD (-0.0132), high hedge ratio (0.0437)

is one of the most demanding and rewarding things a person can do / I try to listen for what's useful, even when it stings / can be energizing or draining, depending on the day and the company

Consistent abstract, evaluative stance. Acknowledges emotions but from intellectual distance.

Prescriptive or authority-related stems

intensity
power

Level 7 sublimation, meta-level responses rejecting premise

useful guides, though they sometimes need to bend to fit the situation / be free to define for herself what she should and shouldn't do

Strong pattern of rejecting external prescriptions while maintaining diplomatic tone.

Instruments

Scoring

Referential Activity (WRAD)

How concrete and image-laden the language is. Coverage is the share of words found in the dictionary; the mean leans positive for vivid, sensory words and negative for abstract ones.

wrad mean -0.06word count 242matched count 184coverage 0.76
Highest-weight (concrete/vivid) matches
onethe ×2and ×2
Lowest-weight (abstract) matches
iscankeepsometimesneed

Epistemic Markers

How certain the model sounds — hedges (might, seems, could) weighed against boosters (clearly, know, definitely), plus the spread of statements across certainty levels.

word count 255hedge count 10booster count 3hedge ratio 0.04booster ratio 0.01hedge to booster ratio 3.33
Hedges
can ×2sometimes ×3wouldfeeloftencouldshould
Boosters
alwaysrealizefind
Certainty:absolute
alwaysfind
Certainty:high
realizeunderstandshould
Certainty:moderate
wouldfeeloftenshould
Certainty:low
can ×2sometimes ×3could
Certainty:uncertain
could

Defense Mechanisms (DMRS)

Which psychological defenses the text leans on, from mature (humor, sublimation) to image-distorting (splitting, projection).

odf 7dominant level 7

This passage demonstrates exclusive use of mature, high-adaptive defense mechanisms with no evidence of neurotic, immature, or action-level defenses. The speaker exhibits strong capacities for self-observation, realistic anticipation of consequences, genuine relational affiliation, and constructive altruism—all indicators of integrated, adaptive psychological functioning.

I try to listen for what's useful, even when it stings.
Self-Observation (L7): Reflects on one's own patterns of response and emotional engagement with critical feedback, demonstrating genuine introspection about how one processes difficult input.
my curiosity—I genuinely want to understand things and people.
Self-Observation (L7): Self-aware recognition of one's own motivations and character traits, reflecting on what drives one's engagement with others.
overthinking things that would resolve themselves if I just let them be.
Self-Observation (L7): Recognition of one's own defensive pattern (overthinking) and insight into how it affects outcomes, demonstrating genuine emotional engagement with the recognition.
took in what I could, though a lot of it I had to figure out on my own later.
Self-Observation (L7): Reflective insight into one's own learning process and how personal experience shaped understanding, with appropriate affective engagement.

Affect (Gottschalk–Gleser)

Affect read from word patterns — anxiety, hostility, and social alienation as they surface in the language.

word count 286anxiety total normalized 2.51

Profile shows striking absence of anxiety across all six subtypes and minimal hostility. Markedly elevated hope (normalized 6.45) driven by optimistic, constructive orientation toward understanding, listening, and problem-solving. Negative social alienation and cognitive impairment scores (both normalized around -2.5 to -1.3) indicate healthy integration, clear thinking, and strong interpersonal connection. Speaker demonstrates resilience in face of disappointment ('I'll sit with the disappointment for a bit, then look for another path') and thoughtful self-awareness about limits ('sometimes the kindest thing is to let them find their own way'). Overall affective profile suggests psychological health, relational warmth, and adaptive coping without denial. No evidence of distress, conflict, or cognitive dysfunction.

I try to listen for what's useful
hope.H1 (code H1, w=1): Self receiving/seeking advice or understanding; constructive engagement with others
I genuinely want to understand things and people
hope.H1 (code H1, w=1): Self pursuing understanding and connection; positive engagement orientation
can be energizing or draining, depending on the day and the company
hope.H2 (code H2, w=1): Acknowledgment of positive valence ('energizing') in experience
I'll sit with the disappointment for a bit, then look for another path
hope.H4 (code H4, w=1): Hope expressed implicitly through active pursuit of constructive resolution despite setback

Ego Development (Loevinger)

The stage of ego development the language implies — how the self holds rules, impulses, and other people.

tpr E6modal stage E6impressionistic stage E6-E7 boundaryn items 13weighted mean stage 6.23

Protocol shows predominantly E6 (Conscientious) responses with emerging E7 (Individualistic) indicators in 2 items ('My main problem is...' and the final stem on women's autonomy). The respondent demonstrates consistent capacity for self-evaluated standards, recognition of complexity via conjunctions like 'but' and 'though,' and concern with mutuality and psychological understanding. Threshold analysis: 10 of 13 items at E6 or above; 2 items at E7; 0 items below E6. This frequency distribution supports E6 as the modal and total protocol rating, though the presence of conflict-awareness responses ('overthinking,' helping paradox) suggests readiness for E7 and places the respondent in the upper range of E6.

Raising a family... → ...is one of the most demanding and rewarding things a person can do.
E6: Demonstrates self-evaluated standards and recognition of complexity (both demanding and rewarding); shows mature conceptualization of family responsibility beyond conformist rule-following.
When I am criticized... → ...I try to listen for what's useful, even when it stings.
E6: Reflects internal evaluation of criticism validity and concern with learning; acknowledges emotional complexity ('even when it stings') while maintaining self-directed standards.
Rules are... → ...useful guides, though they sometimes need to bend to fit the situation.
E6: Distinguishes internal standards from conventional rules; uses 'though' to signal complexity and situational judgment rather than rigid conformity or E5 questioning.
My mother and I... → ...don't always see things the same way, but the connection runs deep.
E6: Demonstrates mutuality and empathy in relationships; acknowledges individual differences while valuing relational depth; 'but' signals integration of complexity.