Changing the Kernel During Training Leads to Double Descent in Kernel Regression

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Allerbo, Oskar
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913840050995200
author Allerbo, Oskar
author_facet Allerbo, Oskar
contents We investigate changing the bandwidth of a translational-invariant kernel during training when solving kernel regression with gradient descent. We present a theoretical bound on the out-of-sample generalization error that advocates for decreasing the bandwidth (and thus increasing the model complexity) during training. We further use the bound to show that kernel regression exhibits a double descent behavior when the model complexity is expressed as the minimum allowed bandwidth during training. Decreasing the bandwidth all the way to zero results in benign overfitting, and also circumvents the need for model selection. We demonstrate the double descent behavior on real and synthetic data and also demonstrate that kernel regression with a decreasing bandwidth outperforms that of a constant bandwidth, selected by cross-validation or marginal likelihood maximization. We finally apply our findings to neural networks, demonstrating that by modifying the neural tangent kernel (NTK) during training, making the NTK behave as if its bandwidth were decreasing to zero, we can make the network overfit more benignly, and converge in fewer iterations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_01762
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Changing the Kernel During Training Leads to Double Descent in Kernel Regression
Allerbo, Oskar
Machine Learning
Optimization and Control
Methodology
We investigate changing the bandwidth of a translational-invariant kernel during training when solving kernel regression with gradient descent. We present a theoretical bound on the out-of-sample generalization error that advocates for decreasing the bandwidth (and thus increasing the model complexity) during training. We further use the bound to show that kernel regression exhibits a double descent behavior when the model complexity is expressed as the minimum allowed bandwidth during training. Decreasing the bandwidth all the way to zero results in benign overfitting, and also circumvents the need for model selection. We demonstrate the double descent behavior on real and synthetic data and also demonstrate that kernel regression with a decreasing bandwidth outperforms that of a constant bandwidth, selected by cross-validation or marginal likelihood maximization. We finally apply our findings to neural networks, demonstrating that by modifying the neural tangent kernel (NTK) during training, making the NTK behave as if its bandwidth were decreasing to zero, we can make the network overfit more benignly, and converge in fewer iterations.
title Changing the Kernel During Training Leads to Double Descent in Kernel Regression
topic Machine Learning
Optimization and Control
Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.01762