Generalization and Memorization along the Learning Trajectory of Neural Language Models: A Geometric Account of Categorization
We investigate how generalization and memorization develop along the learning trajectory of neural language models. Using controlled synthetic grammars, we examine both the geometry of representation space and model behaviour over training. We find that continuous regions of representation space not occupied by observed tokens become systematically structured from the earliest stages of learning, forming category-level geometric organization that supports generalization to unattested combinations. Generalization therefore emerges from the beginning of learning rather than only after extensive memorization. With prolonged training, larger models increasingly distinguish observed from unobs...
| Authors | Wang Bojun, Holly Jenkins, Elizabeth Wonnacott |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.CL |
| Published | 26 September 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 26 September 2026 |
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