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Neural Networks and Computational Learning Theory

 

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NeuroCOLT Technical Report NC-TR-97-031

Bayes Optimal Lazy Learning

Petri Kontkanen, Petri Myllymaki, Tom Silander and Henry Tirri
University of Helsinki
Finland

Abstract
In this paper we present a new probabilistic formalization of the lazy learning approach. In our Bayesian framework, moving from the construction of an explicit hypothesis to a lazy learning approach, where predictions are made by combining the training data at query time, is equivalent to integrating out all the model parameters. Hence in Bayesian Lazy Learning the predictions are made by using all the (infinitely many) models. We present the formalization of this general framework, and illustrate its use in practice in the case of the Naive Bayes classifier model family. The Bayesian lazy learning approach is validated empriically with public domain data sets and the results are compared to the performance of the traditional, single model Naive Bayes. The general framework described in this paper can be applied with any formal model family, and to any discrete prediction task where the number of simultaneously predicted attributes is small, which includes for example all classification tasks prevalent in the machine learning literature.

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