The first evaluates to
julia> [
isa([1, 2, 3], Array),
isa([1, 2, 3], Dict),
isa([1, 2, 3], Int),
]
3-element Vector{Bool}:
1
0
0
and the second to
julia> [
isa(1, Array),
isa(2, Dict),
isa(3, Int),
]
3-element Vector{Bool}:
0
0
1
The Ref makes the argument a “scalar” or “atom” in broadcasting.