Parameter control in evolutionary algorithms

The issue of controlling values of various parameters of an evolutionary al gorithm is one of the most important and promising areas of research in evo lutionary computation: It has a potential of adjusting the algorithm to the problem while solving the problem. In this paper we: 1) revise the termino logy, which is unclear and confusing, thereby providing a classification of such control mechanisms, and 2) survey various forms of control which have been studied by the evolutionary computation community in recent years. Ou r classification covers the major forms of parameter control in evolutionar y computation and suggests some directions for further research.