Hierarchy-Consistent Learning and Adaptive Loss Balancing for Hierarchical Multi-Label Classification

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Jiang, Ruobing, Liu, Mengzhe, Liu, Haobing, Yu, Yanwei
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Jiang, Ruobing
Liu, Mengzhe
Liu, Haobing
Yu, Yanwei
author_facet Jiang, Ruobing
Liu, Mengzhe
Liu, Haobing
Yu, Yanwei
contents Hierarchical Multi-Label Classification (HMC) faces critical challenges in maintaining structural consistency and balancing loss weighting in Multi-Task Learning (MTL). In order to address these issues, we propose a classifier called HCAL based on MTL integrated with prototype contrastive learning and adaptive task-weighting mechanisms. The most significant advantage of our classifier is semantic consistency including both prototype with explicitly modeling label and feature aggregation from child classes to parent classes. The other important advantage is an adaptive loss-weighting mechanism that dynamically allocates optimization resources by monitoring task-specific convergence rates. It effectively resolves the "one-strong-many-weak" optimization bias inherent in traditional MTL approaches. To further enhance robustness, a prototype perturbation mechanism is formulated by injecting controlled noise into prototype to expand decision boundaries. Additionally, we formalize a quantitative metric called Hierarchical Violation Rate (HVR) as to evaluate hierarchical consistency and generalization. Extensive experiments across three datasets demonstrate both the higher classification accuracy and reduced hierarchical violation rate of the proposed classifier over baseline models.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_13452
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Hierarchy-Consistent Learning and Adaptive Loss Balancing for Hierarchical Multi-Label Classification
Jiang, Ruobing
Liu, Mengzhe
Liu, Haobing
Yu, Yanwei
Machine Learning
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Hierarchical Multi-Label Classification (HMC) faces critical challenges in maintaining structural consistency and balancing loss weighting in Multi-Task Learning (MTL). In order to address these issues, we propose a classifier called HCAL based on MTL integrated with prototype contrastive learning and adaptive task-weighting mechanisms. The most significant advantage of our classifier is semantic consistency including both prototype with explicitly modeling label and feature aggregation from child classes to parent classes. The other important advantage is an adaptive loss-weighting mechanism that dynamically allocates optimization resources by monitoring task-specific convergence rates. It effectively resolves the "one-strong-many-weak" optimization bias inherent in traditional MTL approaches. To further enhance robustness, a prototype perturbation mechanism is formulated by injecting controlled noise into prototype to expand decision boundaries. Additionally, we formalize a quantitative metric called Hierarchical Violation Rate (HVR) as to evaluate hierarchical consistency and generalization. Extensive experiments across three datasets demonstrate both the higher classification accuracy and reduced hierarchical violation rate of the proposed classifier over baseline models.
title Hierarchy-Consistent Learning and Adaptive Loss Balancing for Hierarchical Multi-Label Classification
topic Machine Learning
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.13452