Synthetic Feature Augmentation Improves Generalization Performance of Language Models

[Submitted on 11 Jan 2025]

View a PDF of the paper titled Synthetic Feature Augmentation Improves Generalization Performance of Language Models, by Ashok Choudhary and 2 other authors

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Abstract:Training and fine-tuning deep learning models, especially large language models (LLMs), on limited and imbalanced datasets poses substantial challenges. These issues often result in poor generalization, where models overfit to dominant classes and underperform on minority classes, leading to biased predictions and reduced robustness in real-world applications. To overcome these challenges, we propose augmenting features in the embedding space by generating synthetic samples using a range of techniques. By upsampling underrepresented classes, this method improves model performance and alleviates data imbalance. We validate the effectiveness of this approach across multiple open-source text classification benchmarks, demonstrating its potential to enhance model robustness and generalization in imbalanced data scenarios.