A Comparative Study of Feature Selection in Tsetlin Machines

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Halenka, Vojtech, Granmo, Ole-Christoffer, Jiao, Lei, Andersen, Per-Arne
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866918120962129920
author Halenka, Vojtech
Granmo, Ole-Christoffer
Jiao, Lei
Andersen, Per-Arne
author_facet Halenka, Vojtech
Granmo, Ole-Christoffer
Jiao, Lei
Andersen, Per-Arne
contents Feature Selection (FS) is crucial for improving model interpretability, reducing complexity, and sometimes for enhancing accuracy. The recently introduced Tsetlin machine (TM) offers interpretable clause-based learning, but lacks established tools for estimating feature importance. In this paper, we adapt and evaluate a range of FS techniques for TMs, including classical filter and embedded methods as well as post-hoc explanation methods originally developed for neural networks (e.g., SHAP and LIME) and a novel family of embedded scorers derived from TM clause weights and Tsetlin automaton (TA) states. We benchmark all methods across 12 datasets, using evaluation protocols, like Remove and Retrain (ROAR) strategy and Remove and Debias (ROAD), to assess causal impact. Our results show that TM-internal scorers not only perform competitively but also exploit the interpretability of clauses to reveal interacting feature patterns. Simpler TM-specific scorers achieve similar accuracy retention at a fraction of the computational cost. This study establishes the first comprehensive baseline for FS in TM and paves the way for developing specialized TM-specific interpretability techniques.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_06991
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Comparative Study of Feature Selection in Tsetlin Machines
Halenka, Vojtech
Granmo, Ole-Christoffer
Jiao, Lei
Andersen, Per-Arne
Machine Learning
68T01, 68T05
I.2.6; I.2.7; I.5.1
Feature Selection (FS) is crucial for improving model interpretability, reducing complexity, and sometimes for enhancing accuracy. The recently introduced Tsetlin machine (TM) offers interpretable clause-based learning, but lacks established tools for estimating feature importance. In this paper, we adapt and evaluate a range of FS techniques for TMs, including classical filter and embedded methods as well as post-hoc explanation methods originally developed for neural networks (e.g., SHAP and LIME) and a novel family of embedded scorers derived from TM clause weights and Tsetlin automaton (TA) states. We benchmark all methods across 12 datasets, using evaluation protocols, like Remove and Retrain (ROAR) strategy and Remove and Debias (ROAD), to assess causal impact. Our results show that TM-internal scorers not only perform competitively but also exploit the interpretability of clauses to reveal interacting feature patterns. Simpler TM-specific scorers achieve similar accuracy retention at a fraction of the computational cost. This study establishes the first comprehensive baseline for FS in TM and paves the way for developing specialized TM-specific interpretability techniques.
title A Comparative Study of Feature Selection in Tsetlin Machines
topic Machine Learning
68T01, 68T05
I.2.6; I.2.7; I.5.1
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.06991