Large Language Models Can Improve Reasoning Abilities by Learning from Correct Steps

Core Concepts

A novel intrinsic self-correction framework, Learning from Correctness (LECO), can significantly improve the reasoning performance of large language models across various tasks by progressively accumulating correct reasoning steps without relying on external feedback or handcrafted prompts.

Abstract

The paper introduces a novel intrinsic self-correction framework called Learning from Correctness (LECO) to enhance the multi-step reasoning capabilities of large language models (LLMs).
The key insights are:

LECO focuses on learning from correct reasoning steps, rather than learning from errors, which is the predominant approach in existing self-correction methods.
LECO utilizes a unique method to measure the confidence of each reasoning step based on generation logits, without the need for additional tokens or external tools.
Experiments on various multi-step reasoning tasks, including arithmetic, commonsense, and logical reasoning, demonstrate that LECO can significantly improve the reasoning performance of both closed-source (GPT-3.5, GPT-4) and open-source (DeepSeekMath-RL-7B) models, while also reducing token consumption compared to baseline methods.
LECO completely eliminates the need for prompt engineering, which is a common challenge in existing reasoning enhancement approaches.

The paper also includes detailed analyses, such as ablation studies, rethink analysis, and an early stop strategy, to further understand the effectiveness of the LECO framework.

Stats

Jim spends 2 hours watching TV and then decides to go to bed and reads for half as long. He does this 3 times a week.
In 4 weeks, Jim spends a total of 36 hours on TV and reading.

Quotes

"Learning from Correctness (LECO), can significantly improve the reasoning performance of large language models across various tasks by progressively accumulating correct reasoning steps without relying on external feedback or handcrafted prompts."
"LECO utilizes a unique method to measure the confidence of each reasoning step based on generation logits, without the need for additional tokens or external tools."

Key Insights Distilled From

Learning From Correctness Without Prompting Makes LLM Efficient Reasoner

by Yuxuan Yao,H... at arxiv.org 03-29-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.19094.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can the LECO framework be extended to handle more complex multi-step reasoning tasks, such as those involving symbolic reasoning or external knowledge retrieval

To extend the LECO framework for handling more complex multi-step reasoning tasks, such as those involving symbolic reasoning or external knowledge retrieval, several enhancements can be considered:

Symbolic Reasoning Integration: Incorporating symbolic reasoning capabilities into the LECO framework can enable the model to manipulate and reason with symbols, equations, and logical rules. This integration can involve designing specialized modules or prompts that guide the model in performing symbolic operations and reasoning steps.

External Knowledge Incorporation: To handle tasks requiring external knowledge retrieval, the LECO framework can be extended to include mechanisms for accessing and integrating external knowledge sources. This can involve pre-training the model on domain-specific knowledge bases or implementing retrieval mechanisms to fetch relevant information during the reasoning process.

Graph-based Reasoning: Utilizing graph structures to represent relationships between entities and concepts can enhance the model's ability to perform complex reasoning tasks. By incorporating graph neural networks or graph attention mechanisms, the LECO framework can navigate and reason over interconnected data points more effectively.

Attention Mechanisms: Enhancing the attention mechanisms within the LECO framework can improve the model's ability to focus on relevant information during the reasoning process. Techniques like multi-head attention or self-attention can help the model capture intricate dependencies and patterns in the data.

By integrating these advanced techniques and methodologies, the LECO framework can be tailored to handle a broader range of complex multi-step reasoning tasks effectively.

What are the potential limitations of the LECO approach, and how could it be further improved to address issues like hallucination or unfaithful reasoning in large language models

The LECO approach, while showing promising results, may have potential limitations that could be addressed for further improvement:

Hallucination and Unfaithful Reasoning: To mitigate issues like hallucination and unfaithful reasoning in large language models, the LECO framework can be enhanced by incorporating stricter validation mechanisms. Implementing additional verification steps or adversarial training techniques can help identify and rectify erroneous reasoning paths that lead to incorrect outputs.

Diverse Dataset Training: To improve generalization and robustness, training the model on diverse datasets that cover a wide range of scenarios and reasoning tasks can help reduce biases and improve performance on unseen data. Fine-tuning the model on domain-specific datasets can also enhance its ability to reason accurately in specialized domains.

Feedback Mechanism Refinement: Refining the feedback mechanism within the LECO framework can help the model learn more effectively from correct reasoning steps. Implementing reinforcement learning techniques or reward-based systems can incentivize the model to prioritize correct reasoning paths and penalize deviations from the correct solutions.

By addressing these potential limitations and incorporating advanced strategies for validation, training, and feedback refinement, the LECO framework can be further improved to enhance the reasoning capabilities of large language models.

Given the promising results on mathematical reasoning tasks, how could the LECO framework be adapted to enhance the performance of large language models on other domains that require rigorous logical reasoning, such as scientific reasoning or legal reasoning

To adapt the LECO framework for enhancing the performance of large language models in domains requiring rigorous logical reasoning, such as scientific reasoning or legal reasoning, the following strategies can be considered:

Domain-specific Prompting: Tailoring the prompts and demonstrations used in the LECO framework to align with the specific requirements of scientific or legal reasoning tasks can improve the model's understanding and reasoning accuracy in these domains. Providing contextually relevant prompts can guide the model towards logical and coherent reasoning paths.

Structured Knowledge Integration: Incorporating structured knowledge representations, such as ontologies or knowledge graphs, can enhance the model's ability to reason over complex scientific or legal concepts. By integrating structured knowledge sources, the model can access and utilize domain-specific information to support its reasoning process.

Interpretability and Explanation: Enhancing the interpretability of the model's reasoning process can improve trust and transparency in scientific or legal applications. Implementing mechanisms for generating explanations or justifications for the model's decisions can help users understand the reasoning behind the model's outputs.

Fine-grained Evaluation Metrics: Developing fine-grained evaluation metrics that capture the nuances of scientific or legal reasoning tasks can provide more detailed insights into the model's performance. Metrics that assess logical consistency, factual accuracy, and adherence to domain-specific rules can help gauge the model's proficiency in these specialized domains.

By customizing the LECO framework to cater to the unique requirements of scientific and legal reasoning tasks and incorporating domain-specific enhancements, large language models can be empowered to excel in these complex domains.