Internal and external memory in neuroevolution for learning in non-stationary problems

Abstract

This paper deals with the topic of learning through neuroevolutionary algorithms in non-stationary settings. This kind of algorithms that evolve the parameters and/or the topology of a population of Artificial Neural Networks have provided successful results in optimization problems in stationary settings. Their application to non-stationary problems, that is, problems that involve changes in the objective function, still requires more research. In this paper we address the problem through the integration of implicit, internal or genotypic, memory structures and external explicit memories in an algorithm called Promoter Based Genetic Algorithm with External Memory (PBGA-EM). The capabilities introduced in a simple genetic algorithm by these two elements are shown on different tests where the objective function of a problem is changed in an unpredictable manner. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.