发现大模型微调后仍会遗忘部分训练数据,提出系统性诊断框架
Why Supervised Fine-Tuning Fails to Learn: A Systematic Study of Incomplete Learning in Large Language Models

- 通过可观测信号定位微调失败的五类原因
- 多模型多数据集验证遗忘现象普遍存在且复杂多样
- 建议用细粒度诊断替代仅看整体指标的评估方式
监督微调(SFT)是适配大语言模型到下游任务的标准方法。然而我们观察到一种持续存在的失败模式:即使训练收敛,模型仍无法正确复现其自身部分监督训练数据。我们将此现象称为不完全学习现象(ILP)。本文首次对LLM微调中的ILP进行系统研究,将其形式化为训练后未能内化监督实例,并在多个模型族、领域和数据集上证明其普遍性。通过受控分析,识别出五种反复出现的不完全学习来源:(1)预训练模型中缺失先验知识;(2)SFT监督信号与预训练知识冲突;(3)SFT数据内部不一致;(4)序列微调中的左侧遗忘;(5)对罕见或复杂模式优化不足。提出诊断优先框架,利用可观测训练与推理信号将未学习样本映射至具体原因,并测试多种针对性缓解策略作为因果干预。在Qwen、LLaMA和OLMo2上的实验表明,不完全学习广泛且异质,且整体指标提升可能掩盖持续存在的未学习子集。研究强调需对监督微调的失败学习内容与原因进行细粒度诊断。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) is the standard approach for adapting large language models (LLMs) to downstream tasks. However, we observe a persistent failure mode: even after convergence, models often fail to correctly reproduce a subset of their own supervised training data. We refer to this behavior as the Incomplete Learning Phenomenon(ILP). This paper presents the first systematic study of ILP in LLM fine-tuning. We formalize ILP as post-training failure to internalize supervised instances and demonstrate its prevalence across multiple model families, domains, and datasets. Through controlled analyses, we identify five recurrent sources of incomplete learning: (1) missing prerequisite knowledge in the pre-trained model, (2) conflicts between SFT supervision and pre-training knowledge, (3) internal inconsistencies within SFT data, (4) left-side forgetting during sequential fine-tuning, and (5) insufficient optimization for rare or complex patterns. We introduce a diagnostic-first framework that maps unlearned samples to these causes using observable training and inference signals, and study several targeted mitigation strategies as causal interventions. Experiments on Qwen, LLaMA, and OLMo2 show that incomplete learning is widespread and heterogeneous, and that improvements in aggregate metrics can mask persistent unlearned subsets. The findings highlight the need for fine-grained diagnosis of what supervised fine-tuning fails to learn, and why.
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