Neural Succession: A Mesoscopic Theory of Invasion, Coexistence, and Stabilization in Continual Learning
Continual learning is usually studied through mechanisms that preserve old knowledge. We develop Successional Learning Theory (SLT), a mesoscopic account in which the current representation is a resident community, the incoming task is an invader, forgetting is resident displacement, joint retention is coexistence, replay is resident reinforcement, and training moves from establishment toward stabilization. Its empirical coordinate is directional pre-invasion compatibility, measured on the resident model before the incoming task is learned. Across eight experiments, compatibility orders later forgetting on the 20 directed Split-CIFAR-10 transitions (three-repeat r=-0.789, incoming-task cl...
| Authors | Shoaib Ahmed Dipu, Md Salman Shamil, Sayeed Shafayet Chowdhury |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.LG |
| Published | 28 September 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 28 September 2026 |
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