On the flip side, if you say "don't do xyz", this is probably because the LLM was already likely to do xyz (otherwise why say it?). So perhaps what you're observing is just its default behavior rather than "don't do xyz" actually increasing its likelihood to do xyz?
Anecdotally, when I say "don't do xyz" to Gemini (the LLM I've recently been using the most), it tends not to do xyz. I tend not to use massive context windows, though, which is where I'm guessing things get screwy.
it’s been a while since I’ve been a beginner so I might not have the best resources, but I would recommend Harvard’s Stat 110 with Joe Blitzstein (lectures online) and then Machine Learning by Kevin Murphy. might be a scarier book to someone not confident in their math, but overall a better one imo
for something more directly comparable to the niche ISLR filled, Bishop’s books are generally better - although I can’t recall their title
Anecdotally, when I say "don't do xyz" to Gemini (the LLM I've recently been using the most), it tends not to do xyz. I tend not to use massive context windows, though, which is where I'm guessing things get screwy.