Nonparametric regression using deep neural networks with ReLU activation function

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Publication:2215715



Abstract: Consider the multivariate nonparametric regression model. It is shown that estimators based on sparsely connected deep neural networks with ReLU activation function and properly chosen network architecture achieve the minimax rates of convergence (up to logn-factors) under a general composition assumption on the regression function. The framework includes many well-studied structural constraints such as (generalized) additive models. While there is a lot of flexibility in the network architecture, the tuning parameter is the sparsity of the network. Specifically, we consider large networks with number of potential network parameters exceeding the sample size. The analysis gives some insights into why multilayer feedforward neural networks perform well in practice. Interestingly, for ReLU activation function the depth (number of layers) of the neural network architectures plays an important role and our theory suggests that for nonparametric regression, scaling the network depth with the sample size is natural. It is also shown that under the composition assumption wavelet estimators can only achieve suboptimal rates.


The author considers the already classical nonparametric regression model $Y_i =f_0(\mathbf{X} _i) +\epsilon _i $, where $\mathbf{X}_i\in[0,1]^d$, $Y_i\in \mathbb R$, $i=1,\dots,n$, $\mathbf{X} _i$ are the observed vectors, $Y_i$ are the responses and $\epsilon _i$ are the noise variables. The statistical problem is to recover $f_0$ from the samples ($\mathbf{X}_i$, $Y_i$). In the present paper, the estimation of the regression function is done by means of neural networks technology. In the second section, multilayer feedforward artificial neural networks are introduced and concepts as deep neural networks, deep learning, sparsity of the neural network, rectified linear unit (ReLU) are explained. The third section is devoted to the presentation of main results. The regression function is assumed to be a composition of several functions. The author proves that the estimators based on sparsely connected deep neural networks with ReLU activation function and for an appropriate network architecture can achieve minimax rates of convergence. Special cases of compositional constrains on the regression function are discussed in the fourth section. Suboptimality of wavelet series estimators is discussed in the fifth section and a summary on some achievements on statistical theory and neural networks can be found in the sixth section. The seventh section contains the proofs of results. The author reports that additional proofs are to be found in a supplementary material: ``Nonparametric regression using deep neural networks with ReLU activation function, \url{doi:10.1214/19-AOS1875SUPP}.



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