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Grokking: Generalization Beyond Overfitting on Small Algorithmic Datasets

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abstract

In this paper we propose to study generalization of neural networks on small algorithmically generated datasets. In this setting, questions about data efficiency, memorization, generalization, and speed of learning can be studied in great detail. In some situations we show that neural networks learn through a process of "grokking" a pattern in the data, improving generalization performance from random chance level to perfect generalization, and that this improvement in generalization can happen well past the point of overfitting. We also study generalization as a function of dataset size and find that smaller datasets require increasing amounts of optimization for generalization. We argue that these datasets provide a fertile ground for studying a poorly understood aspect of deep learning: generalization of overparametrized neural networks beyond memorization of the finite training dataset.

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  • abstract In this paper we propose to study generalization of neural networks on small algorithmically generated datasets. In this setting, questions about data efficiency, memorization, generalization, and speed of learning can be studied in great detail. In some situations we show that neural networks learn through a process of "grokking" a pattern in the data, improving generalization performance from random chance level to perfect generalization, and that this improvement in generalization can happen well past the point of overfitting. We also study generalization as a function of dataset size and f

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Neural Networks Provably Learn Spectral Representations for Group Composition

cs.LG · 2026-06-02 · unverdicted · novelty 8.0

Two-layer neural networks provably converge almost surely to irreducible representations of finite groups when trained on the group composition task, with the dynamics governed by Riemannian gradient ascent on a representation-theoretic energy functional.

Toy Models of Superposition

cs.LG · 2022-09-21 · accept · novelty 8.0

Toy models demonstrate that polysemanticity arises when neural networks store more sparse features than neurons via superposition, producing a phase transition tied to polytope geometry and increased adversarial vulnerability.

Dead Directions: Geometric Singular Learning

cs.LG · 2026-06-04 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0

Dead directions recover Watanabe's RLCT contribution and triple (λ, m, ν) from directional Fisher curvature decay rates in original parameter space for singular models, extended via K-FAC to networks and gauge-equivariant optimizers.

Phantom transitions in language model fine-tuning

cs.CL · 2026-05-25 · accept · novelty 7.0

Apparent phase transitions during fine-tuning on near-synonym tasks are phantoms originating in the softmax readout; an order parameter isolates kinematic and structural failure modes and a few dimensionless quantities predict critical learning rates across architectures via blind test.

Bounded-Rationality, Hedging, and Generalization

cs.LG · 2026-05-14 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0

Generalization is a testable hedging property of the learner's response law, recovered via f-divergence regularizers that induce information-geometric curves between training loss and sample dependence.

The Geometric Structure of Models Learning Sparse Data

cs.LG · 2026-05-08 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0 · 2 refs

Normal alignment is the rank-one Jacobian structure that lets classifiers minimize loss and maximize local robustness in sparse regimes; the paper proves its optimality and uses it to create GrokAlign and RFAMs.

Topological Signatures of Grokking

cs.LG · 2026-05-07 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0

Persistent homology detects a sharp increase in maximum and total H1 persistence during grokking on modular arithmetic, offering a topological diagnostic that links representation geometry to generalization.

Layerwise LQR for Geometry-Aware Optimization of Deep Networks

cs.LG · 2026-05-05 · unverdicted · novelty 7.0

Steepest descent under divergence-induced quadratic models equals an LQR problem, enabling learning of diagonal or Kronecker-factored inverse preconditioners via a global layerwise objective for scalable geometry-aware training.

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