Metaphor-Induced Algorithmic Steering: Cross-Domain Procedural Transfer in LLM Code Generation
Large language models benefit from elements in natural language, such as metaphors and analogies in training data and inference input to achieve generalisability across different domains. However, these language elements may also lead to unwanted behaviors when metaphorical expressions implicitly transfer inappropriate procedural patterns into new tasks. In this paper, we show that metaphorical instructions can induce analogical transfer of procedural mechanisms, thus steering code-generation models towards less efficient algorithms. We refer to this metaphor-induced effect as metaphorical algorithmic steering: a skill that is benign and plausible within its source domain transfers an abs...
| Authors | Zhibo Hu, Chen Wang, Yanfeng Shu et al. |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.SE |
| Published | 30 July 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 30 July 2026 |
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