Quantifying Semantic Inertia in Large Language Models Under Rapid Topic Switching

摘要

In multi-turn interactions, large language models (LLMs) often exhibit a persistent influence from prior turns, even after an explicit topic switch. This behavior, which we term semantic inertia, can cause responses to deviate from the expected output distribution for an independent task, undermining task isolation and reliability. This paper introduces a rigorous experimental framework to systematically characterize the nature, form, and dynamics of semantic inertia. We propose an operational definition and a causal-contrastive method that isolates semantic carryover from confounding factors like context length. Through a series of experiments on five leading LLMs, we (i) confirm the existence of semantic inertia and identify its boundary conditions; (ii) model its decay over the course of generation, revealing a characteristic timescale and a heavy-tailed distribution; (iii) decompose its effects on three distinct channels—factual accuracy, structural integrity, and stylistic expression; and (iv) probe its controllability using prompt-based interventions. Our key findings show that inertia is not a simple length effect but an intrinsic dynamic, strongest in the initial part of a generation and decaying over a timescale of approximately 100-200 tokens. Its impact is most pronounced as a stylistic residue, while its effect on factual correctness is weaker and highly dependent on the task and domain switch. Crucially, we find that prompt-level ``reset'' instructions are unreliable and often counter-productive, while conflicting constraints consistently amplify, rather than resolve, output deviation. These results suggest that governing semantic inertia requires system-level state management mechanisms rather than relying on prompt engineering alone.