Distance generalization in transformers: why bother with positional encoding?
Updated 7 h ago · first seen 11 Sept 2026
paper_01M294G4ZXZ5SBZ1ATCGF1FBCA
- Published
- 11 Sept 2026
- T1 · 7 h ago
- arXiv
- 2609.11913
- T1 · 7 h ago
- Category
- cs.CL
- T1 · 7 h ago
Abstract
Out-of-distribution length generalization, namely to extrapolate a task from short to longer context, has been studied intensively for transformers. Here we focus on distance generalization, which probes performance when inter-token distances are changed between training and inference, while keeping a fixed context length. We construct two synthetic delay copy tasks, both involving finite distances between source and recall, where tokens are copied either fully or selectively, and test models on delays unseen during training. We address three questions: (A) Do positional encoding schemes such as RoPE and ALiBi improve distance resolution relative to no positional encoding (NoPE)? (B) How does data diversity, the number of inter-token distances seen in training, affect performance? (C) When is distance transfer learning positive or negative? We present a thorough investigation, finding that it is paramount to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms.
Authors 2
Daniel Henrik Nevermann, Claudius Gros
Specification
- Official page
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 7 h agohigh
- Arxiv announce type
- new
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 7 h agohigh
- arXiv id
- 2609.11913
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 7 h agohigh
- Categories
- cs.CL
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 7 h agohigh
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 7 h agohigh
- Primary category
- cs.CL
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 7 h agohigh
- Published
- 11 Sept 2026
Source:arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1observed 7 h agohigh
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T19
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7 h ago
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- Authors
- Daniel Henrik Nevermann, Claudius Gros
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Claim history · Abstract
Abstractabstract1
| Value | Valid from → to | Status | Source | Confidence | Extractor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-distribution length generalization, namely to extrapolate a task from short to longer context, has been studied intensively for transformers. Here we focus on distance generalization, which probes performance when inter-token distances are changed between training and inference, while keeping a fixed context length. We construct two synthetic delay copy tasks, both involving finite distances between source and recall, where tokens are copied either fully or selectively, and test models on delays unseen during training. We address three questions: (A) Do positional encoding schemes such as RoPE and ALiBi improve distance resolution relative to no positional encoding (NoPE)? (B) How does data diversity, the number of inter-token distances seen in training, affect performance? (C) When is distance transfer learning positive or negative? We present a thorough investigation, finding that it is paramount to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. | → current | current | arXiv (Atom API + RSS)T1 | high | deterministic |
Claims are temporal and append-only: a new observation closes the previous claim (valid_to) instead of overwriting it. Conflicting claims from different sources are kept side by side and flagged — never averaged. Methodology →
New paper: Distance generalization in transformers: why bother with positional encoding?
arxiv
| Source | Document | Type | Tier | Last observed | Snapshots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| arXiv (Atom API + RSS) | rss.arxiv.org/rss/cs.CL | feed | T1· Official | 5 h ago | 1 |
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