Phenotypical Building Blocks for Genetic Programming

The theoretical foundations of genetic algorithms (GA) rest on the shoulders of the Schema Theorem, which states that the building blocks, highly t compact subsets of the chromosome, are more likely to survive from one generation to the next. The theory of genetic programming (GP) is tenuous , borrowing heavily from that of GA. As the GP can be considered to be a GA operating on a tree structure, this borrowing is adequate for most. Part of the problem of tying GP theory to the schema theorem is in the identiication of building blocks. We discuss how a building block can be represented in a GP chromosome and the characteristics of building blocks in GP chromosomes. We also present the clique detection domain for which the detection of building blocks is easier than in previous domains utilized in GP research. We illustrate how the clique detection domain facilitates the construction of tness landscapes similar to those of the Royal Road functions in GA research.