Ask HN: Can genetic algorithm get “sick”?
ok, my question might be stupid but I was wondering if my genetic algorithm get "sick", how can I find a cure for it?
This could be caused by having too high of a diversity, causing the algorithm to give up on promising avenues of evolution too early.
Another risk is having too high of selective pressure, causing the algorithm to get stuck on a "good" solution, but not a global maxima (best solution). A high selective pressure will reduce the total breadth of the search and create a deeper, more focused search on a smaller area (in general).
There are other factors to consider, such as bloating (esp. in genetic programming, where syntax trees can become unmanageably large) and the need for an accurate "fitness" function, less you select for something other than the actual solution.