arXiv:2509.07236cs.NEcs.AI2025-09被引 1

打破激活函数前后对称性,让非光滑函数也能用于训练

Breaking the Conventional Forward-Backward Tie in Neural Networks: Activation Functions

  • 用数学证明梯度方向比大小更重要,可放宽前向后向对称约束
  • 实验显示用阶梯函数等非光滑激活函数也能有效训练模型
  • 适合追求高效计算或探索新型激活设计的研究者

基于梯度的神经网络训练传统上要求前向与反向传播保持对称,激活函数需可微(或次可微)且在某些区域严格单调,以避免梯度平坦。这种对称性使激活函数选择受限,尤其排除了具有显著平坦或不可导区域的函数。本文通过数学分析挑战这一假设,证明激活函数所决定的梯度精确幅值大多冗余,只要保留梯度方向即可。在多层感知机(MLPs)、卷积神经网络(CNNs)和二值神经网络(BNNs)等基础架构上的实验证明:放松前后对称性并用简化或随机梯度替代传统梯度,不会损害学习性能,甚至提升训练稳定性和效率。我们明确展示了使用如Heaviside阶跃函数这类平坦或不可导激活函数的神经网络仍可有效训练,从而大幅拓展设计灵活性与计算效率。更复杂架构的进一步验证是未来的重要研究方向。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Gradient-based neural network training traditionally enforces symmetry between forward and backward propagation, requiring activation functions to be differentiable (or sub-differentiable) and strictly monotonic in certain regions to prevent flat gradient areas. This symmetry, linking forward activations closely to backward gradients, significantly restricts the selection of activation functions, particularly excluding those with substantial flat or non-differentiable regions. In this paper, we challenge this assumption through mathematical analysis, demonstrating that precise gradient magnitudes derived from activation functions are largely redundant, provided the gradient direction is preserved. Empirical experiments conducted on foundational architectures - such as Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), and Binary Neural Networks (BNNs) - confirm that relaxing forward-backward symmetry and substituting traditional gradients with simpler or stochastic alternatives does not impair learning and may even enhance training stability and efficiency. We explicitly demonstrate that neural networks with flat or non-differentiable activation functions, such as the Heaviside step function, can be effectively trained, thereby expanding design flexibility and computational efficiency. Further empirical validation with more complex architectures remains a valuable direction for future research.

激活函数梯度训练非光滑网络计算效率

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