改进差分强化学习,使其适用于有终止的回合制问题。
Extending Differential Temporal Difference Methods for Episodic Problems

- 提出差分TD方法的新扩展,解决回合制问题中的奖励中心化失效问题。
- 实验表明,该方法在多种环境和算法中提升样本效率。
- 适合关注在线强化学习与高效训练的研究者。
差分时序差分(Differential TD)方法是为无限时域问题设计的价值型强化学习算法,依赖于奖励中心化——将每个奖励减去平均奖励,以保持回报有界并消除价值函数的状态无关偏移。然而,在回合制问题中,奖励中心化可能改变最优策略,限制其适用性。受近期强调归一化在流式深度强化学习中作用的研究启发,本文研究了回合制问题中的奖励中心化,并提出了差分TD的一般化方法。证明该方法在存在终止的情况下仍能保持策略排序,从而将差分TD拓展至回合制问题。进一步表明该方法等价于某种线性TD,因而继承了此类算法的理论保证。随后,将多个流式强化学习算法推广为其差分形式。在多种基线算法与环境上,实证验证了奖励中心化可提升回合制问题中的样本效率。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Differential temporal difference (TD) methods are value-based reinforcement learning algorithms that have been proposed for infinite-horizon problems. They rely on reward centering, where each reward is centered by the average reward. This keeps the return bounded and removes a value function's state-independent offset. However, reward centering can alter the optimal policy in episodic problems, limiting its applicability. Motivated by recent works that emphasize the role of normalization in streaming deep reinforcement learning, we study reward centering in episodic problems and propose a generalization of differential TD. We prove that this generalization maintains the ordering of policies in the presence of termination, and thus extends differential TD to episodic problems. We show equivalence with a form of linear TD, thereby inheriting theoretical guarantees that have been shown for those algorithms. We then extend several streaming reinforcement learning algorithms to their differential counterparts. Across a range of base algorithms and environments, we empirically validate that reward centering can improve sample efficiency in episodic problems.
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