KnowDR-REC: Auditing Knowledge-Conditioned Visual Grounding in Referring Expression Comprehension

Abstract

While Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) have demonstrated the capacity for multi-modal reasoning, current Referring Expression Comprehension (REC) benchmarks lag behind, predominantly relying on intra-image cues and neglecting the integration of external world knowledge, which significantly impedes the evolution of REC towards real-world applications. This limitation obscures a model’s true capability to conduct textual reasoning (entity resolution), resolve spatial location (visual grounding), and verify reference validity (hallucination rejection). To address this, we introduce KnowDR-REC, a targeted audit benchmark comprising 1,042 positive triplets derived from real-world knowledge, along with rigorously matched negative samples. Unlike traditional datasets, we implement a controllable counterfactual evaluation mechanism that subjects textual expressions to single-factor perturbations (entity, relation, or time) to test sensitivity to fine-grained factual changes. Extensive evaluation of 18 state-of-the-art MLLMs exposes a critical “binding hallucination,” revealing that current high performance is often built on fragile visual shortcuts rather than true understanding. KnowDR-REC thus serves as a pivotal diagnostic instrument, steering future research toward the genuine integration of perception and reasoning.