Reference Evaluation Object Minimal Behavioral Validation Package for Emergence Prompt Engineering (EPE)

This document defines the smallest reproducible experimental unit within the Emergence Prompt Engineering (EPE) research program. Rather than attempting to validate the complete EPE framework, this Reference Evaluation Object (REO) focuses on a single behavioral phenomenon, evaluated under a small set of carefully controlled prompt conditions using one fully specified behavioral metric. Its purpose is to provide external collaborators with a lightweight entry point into the EPE research program, enabling independent reproduction, criticism, and extension before larger behavioral or mechanistic studies are undertaken. Based on the current exploratory evidence, the reference implementation for small (7B–8B) models uses the fine-tuned checkpoint as the primary experimental condition. Prompt-only conditions remain mandatory controls for evaluating the generality of this observation across architectures.