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Examining algorithm behavior using recurrence quantification and landscape analyses

Published: 19 July 2022 Publication History

Abstract

Differences in performance between algorithms can be attributed to the interaction between their unique rule-sets and the characteristics of the instance's landscape. However, understanding this interaction can be difficult because algorithms are often composed of multiple elements, and in the worst cases are described using opaque notation and metaphors. In this paper, we introduce a methodology for the behavioral analysis of optimization algorithms, based on comparing algorithm dynamics in a given problem instance. At the methodology's core lays the hypothesis that if two algorithms, with the exact same initial conditions, have similar dynamics, then their rule-sets are also similar. An examination of Grey Wolf Optimization, shows that it exhibits bias leading to similar behavioral patterns regardless of the function.

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  • (2025)Understanding Instance Hardness for Optimisation Algorithms: Methodologies, Open Challenges and Post-Quantum ImplicationsApplied Mathematical Modelling10.1016/j.apm.2025.115965(115965)Online publication date: Feb-2025

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cover image ACM Conferences
GECCO '22: Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference Companion
July 2022
2395 pages
ISBN:9781450392686
DOI:10.1145/3520304
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 19 July 2022

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Author Tags

  1. black-box optimization
  2. dynamical systems
  3. instance spaces
  4. landscape analysis
  5. recurrence quantification analysis

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View all
  • (2025)Understanding Instance Hardness for Optimisation Algorithms: Methodologies, Open Challenges and Post-Quantum ImplicationsApplied Mathematical Modelling10.1016/j.apm.2025.115965(115965)Online publication date: Feb-2025

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