Transformer在语言学习中先学简单模式,再学复杂关系。
A distributional simplicity bias in the learning dynamics of transformers
- 用数据克隆法精确控制输入词元的交互阶数,分析学习顺序。
- 模型先学低阶交互,误差降至饱和后才继续学高阶复杂关系。
- 揭示了Transformer的分布简化偏好,适合研究模型泛化机制的人看。
大规模神经网络之所以能有效泛化,常归因于其'简化偏好':即先学习简单分类器,再逐步掌握复杂非线性函数。尽管这一现象在前馈网络的监督学习中已有理论和实证支持,但其是否适用于采用自监督训练的Transformer仍不明确。本文研究发现,基于自然语言数据训练的Transformer同样表现出简化偏好。具体而言,它们按顺序学习输入词元间的多体相互作用,在低阶交互的预测误差达到饱和后,仍持续学习高阶交互。为此,我们提出一种生成数据'克隆'的方法,可严格捕捉词元间至指定阶数的交互关系。该方法为研究不同阶次交互对自然语言处理及其他领域学习的影响提供了新途径。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
The remarkable capability of over-parameterised neural networks to generalise effectively has been explained by invoking a ``simplicity bias'': neural networks prevent overfitting by initially learning simple classifiers before progressing to more complex, non-linear functions. While simplicity biases have been described theoretically and experimentally in feed-forward networks for supervised learning, the extent to which they also explain the remarkable success of transformers trained with self-supervised techniques remains unclear. In our study, we demonstrate that transformers, trained on natural language data, also display a simplicity bias. Specifically, they sequentially learn many-body interactions among input tokens, reaching a saturation point in the prediction error for low-degree interactions while continuing to learn high-degree interactions. To conduct this analysis, we develop a procedure to generate \textit{clones} of a given natural language data set, which rigorously capture the interactions between tokens up to a specified order. This approach opens up the possibilities of studying how interactions of different orders in the data affect learning, in natural language processing and beyond.
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