MASE: Interpretable NLP Models via Model-Agnostic Saliency Estimation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Yang, Zhou, Luo, Shunyan, Zhu, Jiazhen, Jin, Fang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Yang, Zhou
Luo, Shunyan
Zhu, Jiazhen
Jin, Fang
author_facet Yang, Zhou
Luo, Shunyan
Zhu, Jiazhen
Jin, Fang
contents Deep neural networks (DNNs) have made significant strides in Natural Language Processing (NLP), yet their interpretability remains elusive, particularly when evaluating their intricate decision-making processes. Traditional methods often rely on post-hoc interpretations, such as saliency maps or feature visualization, which might not be directly applicable to the discrete nature of word data in NLP. Addressing this, we introduce the Model-agnostic Saliency Estimation (MASE) framework. MASE offers local explanations for text-based predictive models without necessitating in-depth knowledge of a model's internal architecture. By leveraging Normalized Linear Gaussian Perturbations (NLGP) on the embedding layer instead of raw word inputs, MASE efficiently estimates input saliency. Our results indicate MASE's superiority over other model-agnostic interpretation methods, especially in terms of Delta Accuracy, positioning it as a promising tool for elucidating the operations of text-based models in NLP.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_04386
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle MASE: Interpretable NLP Models via Model-Agnostic Saliency Estimation
Yang, Zhou
Luo, Shunyan
Zhu, Jiazhen
Jin, Fang
Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
Deep neural networks (DNNs) have made significant strides in Natural Language Processing (NLP), yet their interpretability remains elusive, particularly when evaluating their intricate decision-making processes. Traditional methods often rely on post-hoc interpretations, such as saliency maps or feature visualization, which might not be directly applicable to the discrete nature of word data in NLP. Addressing this, we introduce the Model-agnostic Saliency Estimation (MASE) framework. MASE offers local explanations for text-based predictive models without necessitating in-depth knowledge of a model's internal architecture. By leveraging Normalized Linear Gaussian Perturbations (NLGP) on the embedding layer instead of raw word inputs, MASE efficiently estimates input saliency. Our results indicate MASE's superiority over other model-agnostic interpretation methods, especially in terms of Delta Accuracy, positioning it as a promising tool for elucidating the operations of text-based models in NLP.
title MASE: Interpretable NLP Models via Model-Agnostic Saliency Estimation
topic Computation and Language
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04386