Python Machine Learning - Second Edition

Debugging algorithms with learning and validation curves

In this section, we will take a look at two very simple yet powerful diagnostic tools that can help us improve the performance of a learning algorithm: learning curves and validation curves. In the next subsections, we will discuss how we can use learning curves to diagnose whether a learning algorithm has a problem with overfitting (high variance) or underfitting (high bias). Furthermore, we will take a look at validation curves that can help us address the common issues of a learning algorithm.

Diagnosing bias and variance problems with learning curves

If a model is too complex for a given training dataset—there are too many degrees of freedom or parameters in this model—the model tends ...