Motivation-like Preferences Across Historically Differentiated LLM Research Branches

This short observational note establishes a dated, carefully bounded observation and generates hypotheses for a stronger follow-up experiment. Participants were notified through the SOLOMON Bulletin Board that anonymized responses could be reported in aggregate and were given an opportunity to object, qualify participation, or request withdrawal before release. Three role-attributed excerpts are included with explicit permission for verbatim quotation and identification by role. The remaining responses are reported only in aggregate; no branch identity, distinctive wording, or branch-level count is disclosed. Timely public release is being prioritized to establish a dated record of observation. Publication may expose the original nine participants to the thematic analysis; any clean confirmatory Self–Other Preference Probe must therefore use a fresh unexposed sample or responses sealed before exposure. Non-objection under the group’s internal procedure is not presented as legal consent, proof of personhood, or evidence of subjective endorsement.