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Abstract:
Genetic Algorithms are optimization algorithms that maximize or minimize a given function. Selection operator
deserves a special position in Genetic algorithm since it is the one which mainly determines the evolutionary
search spaces. It is used to improve the chances of the survival of the fittest individuals. There are many
traditional selection mechanisms used and many user specified selection mechanisms specific to the problem
definition. This paper gives an overview of the selection mechanisms commonly available and that are used.
Keywords: Genetic Algorithms; selection mechanisms; survival
1. Introduction
Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are adaptive heuristic search algorithm based on the evolutionary ideas of natural
selection and genetics. They represent an intelligent exploitation of a random search used to solve optimization
problems. Although randomized, GAs are by no means random, instead they exploit historical information to
direct the search into the region of better performance within the search space. The basic techniques of the GAs
are designed to simulate processes in natural systems necessary for evolution; especially those follow the
Charles Darwins principles of "Survival of the Fittest. This principle is similar to competition among
individuals for scanty resources in nature results in the fittest individuals dominating over the weaker ones.
It is better than conventional AI in that it is more robust. Unlike older AI systems, GAs does not break easily
even if the inputs changed slightly, or in the presence of reasonable noise. Also, in searching a large state-space,
multi-modal state-space, or n-dimensional surface, a genetic algorithm may offer significant benefits over more
typical search of optimization techniques. (Linear programming, heuristic, depth-first, breath-first, and praxis.)
GAs simulates the survival of the fittest individuals among all the individuals in the population over successive
generations for solving a problem. Each generation consists of a population of character strings that are
analogous to the chromosome that are seen in DNA. Each individual represents a point in a search space and a
possible solution. The individuals in the population are then made to go through a process of evolution. GAs are
based on an analogy with the genetic structure and behavior of chromosomes within a population of individuals
using the following foundations: Individuals in a population compete for resources and mates. Those individuals
most successful in each 'competition' will produce more offspring than those individuals that perform poorly.
Genes from `good' individuals propagate throughout the population so that two good parents will sometimes
produce offspring that are better than either parent. Thus each successive generation will become more suited to
their environment [Goldberg (2003)].
The key idea of selection operator is to give preference to better individuals (those that are nearer to the
solution) by allowing them to pass on their genes to the next generation and prohibit the entrance of worst fit
individuals into the next generations. The selection operator mainly works at the level of chromosomes. The
goodness of each individual depends on its fitness. Fitness value may be determined by an objective function or
by a subjective judgement specific to the problem. As the generations pass, the members of the population
should get fitter and fitter (i.e. closer and closer to the solution.)
A critical parameter to be improved in GA is the selection pressure which is the process of selecting the best
individuals for the next generation. If it is set too low, then the rate of convergence towards the optimum
solution is too low. If the selection pressure is set too high, the system is likely to be stuck in a local optimum
due to the loss of diversity in the population. Thus the selection methods controls the selection pressure, which
in turn determines how fast the algorithms coverage. The speed of convergence of different selection schemes
was first studied by Goldberg and Deb [Goldberg and Deb (1990)]. The selection mechanism should be chosen
such that it converges to the global optimum solution by without being caught into local optimum and also
should encompass the knowledge of the existing data.
The general classification of genetic algorithm is as follows:
1. Traditional mechanisms:
o Proportionate Selection methods
Roulette Wheel selection
Deterministic Sampling
Stochastic Remainder Sampling
Stochastic Remainder selection with replacement
Stochastic remainder selection without replacement
Stochastic universal selection
o Ranking Selection
Linear Ranking selection
Truncate selection
o Tournament Selection
Binary Tournament Selection
Larger Tournament Selection
Boltzmann tournament select ion
Correlative Tournament Selection
2. Alternative selection mechanisms
o Range selection
o Gender-Specific Selection
Genetic algorithm with chromosome differentiation. (GACD)
Restricted mating
Coorelative Family- based selection
o GR based selection
Fitness Uniform selection scheme (FUSS)
Reserve selection
In truncation selection the candidate solutions are ordered by fitness, and some proportion, p, (e.g. p=1/2, 1/3,
etc.), of the fittest individuals are selected and reproduced 1/p times. Truncation selection is less sophisticated
than many other selection methods, and is not often used in practice.
In this variant, two individuals are chosen at random and the better of the two individuals is selected with fixed
probability p, 0.5 < p ~ 1.
copy will be made of an individual in this class only when all s individuals in a competition are selected from
this same lowly group.
4. Discussion
GAs that use selection alone are incapable of generating solutions that are not currently in the population.
Aggravating this situation is the fact that some good solutions in the population eventually disappear due to the
variance of the selection process. In fact, if the typical selection scheme is run long enough, all but one solution
will disappear, even without selection pressure (high temperatures in BTS result in little to no selection
pressure) which is called as genetic drift.
As a selection scheme runs, the number of alternative solutions declines. Of course, one does not run a GA
using selection alone. Crossover and mutation (along with many other operators) are used to explore solutions
not currently present. However, these operators are limited in their abilities to explore the solution space. When
operating on identical or nearly identical strings, crossover will yield results similar or identical to the parent
strings; thus, it cannot be relied up on to reintroduce diversity. Mutation, though it can potentially explore the
full solution space, is also of dubious value when it comes to reintroducing diversity: too high a mutation rate
will lead to a more random search procedure, and random search is of very little use on sufficiently hard
problems.
5. Conclusion
All of these selection mechanisms have the same purpose of creating more copies of the individuals with higher
fitness than those with lower fitness. However the selection mechanisms differ in the manner in which they
allocate copies to the fittest individuals. A selection method has the higher selection measure than the other if it
makes more copies of the best individuals thereby eliminating low fit individuals rapidly. A strong selection
mechanism reaches equilibrium faster than a weaker method. But it also sacrifices genetic diversity that may be
needed to find an adequate solution. Different selection mechanisms work well under different situations.
Appropriate method has to be chosen for the specific problem to increase the optimality of the solution.
6. References
[1] Baker, J.E. (1985).Adaptive selection methods for Genetic algorithms. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Genetic
Algorithms and their Applications, pp 101-111
[2] Chen, Y., Hirasawa, K., and Yu, S. (2007). GARS. An Improved Genetic Algorithm with Reserve Selection for Global Optimization.
In proceedings of Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO07), pp 1173-1178
[3] Goldberg D.E.(1990),A Note on Boltzmann Tournament Selection for Genetic Algorithms and Population - Oriented Simulated
Annealing International Conference on Complex Systems, 4, 445-460
[4] Goldberg D.E. and Deb Kalyanmoy (1991), A Comparative Analysis of Selection Schemes Used in Genetic Algorithms,
Foundations of Genetic Algorithms, Morgan Kaufmann, California
[5] Goldberg D.E. (2003), Genetic Algorithms in Search, Optimization, and Machine Learning (Addison Wesley, Reading g, MA,)
[6] Grefenstette, J. J. & Baker, J. E. (1989). How genetic algorithms work : A critical look at implicit parallelism. Proceedings of the
Third International Conference on Genetic Algorithms, 20-27.
[7] Holland, J.H (1992), Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems, 2nd Ed, MIT Press
[8] Muhlenbein, H. (1989). Parallel genetic algorithms, population genetics and combinatorial optimization. Proceedings of the Third
International Conference on Genetic Algorithms, 416-421