This study investigates how different moral conditions influence the general problem-solving capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs). We aim to explore whether the role of morality as a cognitive function operating in human decision-making can be extended to LLMs. Specifically, we define distinct moral stages based on Kohlberg’s theory of moral development and design prompts to elicit model responses aligned with each corresponding condition. The validity of this alignment is verified using the Defining Issues Test, a human evaluation tool. Subsequently, models reflecting the characteristics of each condition are evaluated using the MMLU benchmark, which requires general problem-solving abilities across various domains. Experimental results show that different moral perspectives lead to changes in the model’s decision-making during general reasoning, reflected in both responses and internal representations. Notably, conditions grounded in more advanced moral stages tend to elicit more thoughtful and reflective problem-solving behavior, which is often associated with enhanced performance. Our study attempts to broaden the concept of LLM morality, which has traditionally only been considered in ethical judgment scenarios. Furthermore, it emphasizes that morality is not merely a means of ensuring safety but a crucial factor that shapes a model’s behavior and thought processes.

Large language models (LLMs) exhibit inherent limitations in working memory, which often affect their overall capabilities. However, prior studies have largely focused on describing such constraints without identifying their causes or providing practical strategies to cope with them. In this paper, we investigate the limited working memory capacity of LLMs through a series of empirical studies. Specifically, we examine the factors involved in the limited capacity and explore strategies to make more effective use of it. Our analysis shows that the number and difficulty of tasks in a single input largely strain the working memory of LLMs. In response, we design a cognitive marker consisting of simple token sequences theoretically grounded in cognitive science. Further analyses show that the cognitive marker reduces the overall prediction difficulty and uncertainty for the models to process the input, and its effectiveness is confirmed across various evaluation settings. Overall, our study incorporates cognitively motivated perspectives into the analysis of model behavior and highlights the need for deeper exploration of working memory in LLMs.