用函数向量分析大模型遗忘机制,提出稳定训练新方法
Unlocking the Power of Function Vectors for Characterizing and Mitigating Catastrophic Forgetting in Continual Instruction Tuning
- 通过函数向量捕捉模型内部功能表示,定位遗忘根源
- 实验证明遗忘主因是功能激活偏差,而非功能覆盖
- 新方法在4个基准上显著缓解持续学习中的灾难性遗忘
灾难性遗忘(CF)是持续学习中模型遗忘旧知识的核心挑战。尽管大型语言模型(LLMs)能力强大,但在持续指令微调过程中仍面临严重遗忘问题。现有研究多基于单一训练序列分析遗忘模式,忽略了不同任务对模型行为的复杂影响。本研究在多种设置下探索了CF现象,发现遗忘既受具体训练任务影响,也与模型自身有关。为此,我们通过分析函数向量(FV)——LLM中函数的紧凑表征——提供了一种依赖模型的遗忘指标。理论与实证分析表明,LLMs中的遗忘主要源于功能激活的偏差,而非任务处理功能被覆盖。基于此,我们提出一种新型函数向量引导的训练方法,引入正则化以稳定FV,从而减轻遗忘。在四个基准上的实验证实了该方法的有效性,支持了关于遗忘与模型功能动态的理论框架。代码将很快公开。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Catastrophic forgetting (CF) poses a significant challenge in machine learning, where a model forgets previously learned information upon learning new tasks. Despite the advanced capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs), they continue to face challenges with CF during continual learning. The majority of existing research focuses on analyzing forgetting patterns through a singular training sequence, thereby overlooking the intricate effects that diverse tasks have on model behavior. Our study explores CF across various settings, discovering that model forgetting is influenced by both the specific training tasks and the models themselves. To this end, we interpret forgetting by examining the function vector (FV), a compact representation of functions in LLMs, offering a model-dependent indicator for the occurrence of CF. Through theoretical and empirical analyses, we demonstrated that CF in LLMs primarily stems from biases in function activation rather than the overwriting of task processing functions. Leveraging these insights, we propose a novel function vector guided training methodology, incorporating a regularization technique to stabilize the FV and mitigate forgetting. Empirical tests on four benchmarks confirm the effectiveness of our proposed training method, substantiating our theoretical framework concerning CF and model function dynamics. We plan to make our code publicly accessible in the near future.
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