Feature learning is decoupled from generalization in high capacity neural networks

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2507.19680v1
• Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2025 21:19:37 GMT
• Title: Feature learning is decoupled from generalization in high capacity neural networks
• Authors: Niclas Alexander Göring, Charles London, Abdurrahman Hadi Erturk, Chris Mingard, Yoonsoo Nam, Ard A. Louis,
• Abstract summary: We introduce a concept we call feature quality to measure this performance improvement.<n>Current theories of feature learning do not provide a sufficient foundation for developing theories of neural network generalization.
• Score: 2.3348738689737507
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Neural networks outperform kernel methods, sometimes by orders of magnitude, e.g. on staircase functions. This advantage stems from the ability of neural networks to learn features, adapting their hidden representations to better capture the data. We introduce a concept we call feature quality to measure this performance improvement. We examine existing theories of feature learning and demonstrate empirically that they primarily assess the strength of feature learning, rather than the quality of the learned features themselves. Consequently, current theories of feature learning do not provide a sufficient foundation for developing theories of neural network generalization.

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