A Probabilistic Inference Scaling Theory for LLM Self-Correction
Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated the capability to refine their generated answers through self-correction, enabling continuous performance improvement over multiple rounds. However, the mechanisms underlying how and why accuracy evolves during this iterative process remain unexplored. To fill this gap, we propose a probabilistic theory to model the dynamics of accuracy change and explain the performance improvements observed in multi-round self-correction. Through mathematical derivation, we establish that the accuracy after the $t^{th}$ round of self-correction is given by: $Acc_t = Upp - α^t(Upp - Acc_0),$ where $Acc_0$ denotes the initial accuracy, $Upp$ represents the upper bound of accuracy convergence, and $α$ determines the rate of convergence. Based on our theory, these parameters can be calculated and the predicted accuracy curve then can be obtained through only a single round of self-correction. Extensive experiments across diverse models and datasets demonstrate that our theoretical predictions align closely with empirical accuracy curves, validating the effectiveness of the theory. Our work provides a theoretical foundation for understanding LLM self-correction, thus paving the way for further explorations.
Code (0)
등록된 구현이 없습니다.
Similar Papers 제목 키워드 기반
Sample Complexity and Representation Ability of Test-time Scaling Paradigms
Test-time scaling paradigms have significantly advanced the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) on complex tasks. Despite their empirical success, theoretical understanding of the sample efficiency of various te…
CSC-SQL: Corrective Self-Consistency in Text-to-SQL via Reinforcement Learning
Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong capabilities in translating natural language questions about relational databases into SQL queries. In particular, test-time scaling techniques such as Self-Consisten…
Text to SQLText-To-SQLSETS: Leveraging Self-Verification and Self-Correction for Improved Test-Time Scaling
Recent advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs) have created new opportunities to enhance performance on complex reasoning tasks by leveraging test-time computation. However, conventional approaches such as repeated …
A Probabilistic Inference Approach to Inference-Time Scaling of LLMs using Particle-Based Monte Carlo Methods
Large language models (LLMs) have achieved significant performance gains via scaling up model sizes and/or data. However, recent evidence suggests diminishing returns from such approaches, motivating scaling the computat…
MathMathematical ReasoningTest-Time Scaling of Reasoning Models for Machine Translation
Test-time scaling (TTS) has enhanced the performance of Reasoning Models (RMs) on various tasks such as math and coding, yet its efficacy in machine translation (MT) remains underexplored. This paper investigates whether…
Machine Translation