Quantifying Data Similarity Using Cross Learning

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sun, Shudong, Zhang, Hao Helen, Watkins, Joseph C
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Sun, Shudong
Zhang, Hao Helen
Watkins, Joseph C
author_facet Sun, Shudong
Zhang, Hao Helen
Watkins, Joseph C
contents Measuring dataset similarity is fundamental in machine learning, particularly for transfer learning and domain adaptation. In the context of supervised learning, most existing approaches quantify similarity of two data sets based on their input feature distributions, neglecting label information and feature-response alignment. To address this, we propose the Cross-Learning Score (CLS), which measures dataset similarity through bidirectional generalization performance of decision rules. We establish its theoretical foundation by linking CLS to cosine similarity between decision boundaries under canonical linear models, providing a geometric interpretation. A robust ensemble-based estimator is developed that is easy to implement and bypasses high-dimensional density estimation entirely. For transfer learning applications, we introduce a "transferable zones" framework that categorizes source datasets into positive, ambiguous, and negative transfer regions. To accommodate deep learning, we extend CLS to encoder-head architectures, aligning with modern representation-based pipelines. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets validate the effectiveness of CLS for similarity measurement and transfer assessment.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_10866
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantifying Data Similarity Using Cross Learning
Sun, Shudong
Zhang, Hao Helen
Watkins, Joseph C
Machine Learning
Measuring dataset similarity is fundamental in machine learning, particularly for transfer learning and domain adaptation. In the context of supervised learning, most existing approaches quantify similarity of two data sets based on their input feature distributions, neglecting label information and feature-response alignment. To address this, we propose the Cross-Learning Score (CLS), which measures dataset similarity through bidirectional generalization performance of decision rules. We establish its theoretical foundation by linking CLS to cosine similarity between decision boundaries under canonical linear models, providing a geometric interpretation. A robust ensemble-based estimator is developed that is easy to implement and bypasses high-dimensional density estimation entirely. For transfer learning applications, we introduce a "transferable zones" framework that categorizes source datasets into positive, ambiguous, and negative transfer regions. To accommodate deep learning, we extend CLS to encoder-head architectures, aligning with modern representation-based pipelines. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets validate the effectiveness of CLS for similarity measurement and transfer assessment.
title Quantifying Data Similarity Using Cross Learning
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.10866