Research map / Architectures and efficiency / RNNs and normalization
The Shattered Gradients Problem: If resnets are the answer, then what is the question?
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Measured effects reported in the paper
| What was changed | Where | Measured | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use skip-connections with batch normalization and β-rescaling rather than a feedforward architecture | Deep rectifier networks · Typical datapoint pairs | gradient correlation: 1/2^L -> 1/(β√L) | Helped |
| Set β to 0.1 instead of 1.0 (ablation) | 100-layer resnet with batch normalization · Typical datapoint pairs | gradient correlation: 0.1 -> 0.7 | Helped |
| Use the looks-linear initialization with orthogonal weights | CReLU feedforward network · CIFAR-10 test | accuracy | Helped |
| Remove the looks-linear initialization (ablation) | CReLU feedforward network · CIFAR-10 test | accuracy | Hurt |
| Use β = 1.0 rather than β = 0.1 (ablation) | Resnet with batch normalization · 100-layer network | gradient correlation: 0.7 -> 0.1 | Hurt |
| Use β-rescaling in resnets (ablation) | Resnet with batch normalization · Typical datapoint pairs | gradient correlation: 1/(β√L) | Helped |
Closest papers by meaning
- How to Start Training: The Effect of Initialization and Architecture (NeurIPS 2018 · similarity 0.89)
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- Neural Collapse is Globally Optimal in Deep Regularized ResNets and Transformers (NeurIPS 2025 · similarity 0.87)
- On Vanishing Gradients, Over-Smoothing, and Over-Squashing in GNNs: Bridging Recurrent and Graph Learning (NeurIPS 2025 · similarity 0.87)
- Random Sparse Lifts: Construction, Analysis and Convergence of finite sparse networks (ICLR 2024 · similarity 0.87)
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