Studies on the effect of non-coding segments on the genetic algorithm

We study a specific aspect of the genetic algorithm (GA): the effect of non-coding segments on GA performance. Non-coding segments are segments of bits in an individual that provide no contribution, positive or negative, to the fitness of that individual. Previous research on non-coding segments suggests that including these structures in the GA population may improve GA performance. As a first step in our research, we tested our program on some of the same problems as the previous studies. This paper compares our results with the previous results and discusses the significance of the similarities and differences.<>