A Practical Schema Theorem for Genetic Algorithm Design and Tuning

This paper develops the theory that can enable the design of genetic algorithms and choose the parameters such that the proportion of the best building blocks grow. A practical schema theorem has been used for this purpose and its ramification for the choice of selection operator and parameterization of the algorithm is explored. In particular stochastic universal selection, tournament selection, and truncation selection schemes are employed to verify the results. Results agree with the schema theorem and indicate that it must be obeyed in order to ascertain sustained growth of good building blocks. The analysis suggests that schema theorem alone is insufficient to guarantee the success of a selectorecombinative genetic algorithm.