Unlocking Prototype Potential: An Efficient Tuning Framework for Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Jiang, Shengqin, Feng, Xiaoran, Qi, Yuankai, Zhang, Haokui, Hang, Renlong, Liu, Qingshan, Yao, Lina, Sheng, Quan Z., Yang, Ming-Hsuan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Jiang, Shengqin
Feng, Xiaoran
Qi, Yuankai
Zhang, Haokui
Hang, Renlong
Liu, Qingshan
Yao, Lina
Sheng, Quan Z.
Yang, Ming-Hsuan
author_facet Jiang, Shengqin
Feng, Xiaoran
Qi, Yuankai
Zhang, Haokui
Hang, Renlong
Liu, Qingshan
Yao, Lina
Sheng, Quan Z.
Yang, Ming-Hsuan
contents Few-shot class-incremental learning (FSCIL) seeks to continuously learn new classes from very limited samples while preserving previously acquired knowledge. Traditional methods often utilize a frozen pre-trained feature extractor to generate static class prototypes, which suffer from the inherent representation bias of the backbone. While recent prompt-based tuning methods attempt to adapt the backbone via minimal parameter updates, given the constraint of extreme data scarcity, the model's capacity to assimilate novel information and substantively enhance its global discriminative power is inherently limited. In this paper, we propose a novel shift in perspective: freezing the feature extractor while fine-tuning the prototypes. We argue that the primary challenge in FSCIL is not feature acquisition, but rather the optimization of decision regions within a static, high-quality feature space. To this end, we introduce an efficient prototype fine-tuning framework that evolves static centroids into dynamic, learnable components. The framework employs a dual-calibration method consisting of class-specific and task-aware offsets. These components function synergistically to improve the discriminative capacity of prototypes for ongoing incremental classes. Extensive results demonstrate that our method attains superior performance across multiple benchmarks while requiring minimal learnable parameters.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_05271
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Unlocking Prototype Potential: An Efficient Tuning Framework for Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning
Jiang, Shengqin
Feng, Xiaoran
Qi, Yuankai
Zhang, Haokui
Hang, Renlong
Liu, Qingshan
Yao, Lina
Sheng, Quan Z.
Yang, Ming-Hsuan
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Few-shot class-incremental learning (FSCIL) seeks to continuously learn new classes from very limited samples while preserving previously acquired knowledge. Traditional methods often utilize a frozen pre-trained feature extractor to generate static class prototypes, which suffer from the inherent representation bias of the backbone. While recent prompt-based tuning methods attempt to adapt the backbone via minimal parameter updates, given the constraint of extreme data scarcity, the model's capacity to assimilate novel information and substantively enhance its global discriminative power is inherently limited. In this paper, we propose a novel shift in perspective: freezing the feature extractor while fine-tuning the prototypes. We argue that the primary challenge in FSCIL is not feature acquisition, but rather the optimization of decision regions within a static, high-quality feature space. To this end, we introduce an efficient prototype fine-tuning framework that evolves static centroids into dynamic, learnable components. The framework employs a dual-calibration method consisting of class-specific and task-aware offsets. These components function synergistically to improve the discriminative capacity of prototypes for ongoing incremental classes. Extensive results demonstrate that our method attains superior performance across multiple benchmarks while requiring minimal learnable parameters.
title Unlocking Prototype Potential: An Efficient Tuning Framework for Few-Shot Class-Incremental Learning
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.05271