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Language model (LM) pre-training is useful in many language processing tasks. But can pre-trained LMs be further leveraged for more general machine learning problems? We propose an approach for using LMs to scaffold learning and…
Visual inputs are often assumed to improve language understanding in multimodal models. We examine this assumption by asking whether vision-language models (VLMs) can distinguish useful visual evidence from incidental image context in…
The dual thinking framework considers fast, intuitive, and slower logical processing. The perception of dual thinking in vision requires images where inferences from intuitive and logical processing differ, and the latter is under-explored…
Achieving deep alignment between vision and language remains a central challenge for Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs). These models often fail to fully leverage visual input, defaulting to strong language priors. Our approach first…
Despite significant progress in multimodal language models (LMs), it remains unclear whether visual grounding enhances their understanding of embodied knowledge compared to text-only models. To address this question, we propose a novel…
Generalization is a pivotal challenge for agents following natural language instructions. To approach this goal, we leverage a vision-language model (VLM) for visual grounding and transfer its vision-language knowledge into reinforcement…
Vision-language models (VLMs) have demonstrated impressive performance by effectively integrating visual and textual information to solve complex tasks. However, it is not clear how these models reason over the visual and textual data…
Learning generalizable reward functions is a core challenge in embodied intelligence. Recent work leverages contrastive vision language models (VLMs) to obtain dense, domain-agnostic rewards without human supervision. These methods adapt…
Semantic and syntactic bootstrapping posit that children use their prior knowledge of one linguistic domain, say syntactic relations, to help later acquire another, such as the meanings of new words. Empirical results supporting both…
Accurate syntactic representations are essential for robust generalization in natural language. Recent work has found that pre-training can teach language models to rely on hierarchical syntactic features - as opposed to incorrect linear…
Recent advances in visual-language machine learning models have demonstrated exceptional ability to use natural language and understand visual scenes by training on large, unstructured datasets. However, this training paradigm cannot…
Recent advances in multimodal LLMs, have led to several video-text models being proposed for critical video-related tasks. However, most of the previous works support visual input only, essentially muting the audio signal in the video. Few…
Rote learning is a memorization technique based on repetition. Many researchers argue that rote learning hinders generalization because it encourages verbatim memorization rather than deeper understanding. This concern extends even to…
Vision-language models (VLMs) can respond to queries about images in many languages. However, beyond language, culture affects how we see things. For example, individuals from Western cultures focus more on the central figure in an image…
Language is highly structured, with syntactic and semantic structures, to some extent, agreed upon by speakers of the same language. With implicit or explicit awareness of such structures, humans can learn and use language efficiently and…
When acquiring syntax, children consistently choose hierarchical rules over competing non-hierarchical possibilities. Is this preference due to a learning bias for hierarchical structure, or due to more general biases that interact with…
Aligning visual features with language embeddings is a key challenge in vision-language models (VLMs). The performance of such models hinges on having a good connector that maps visual features generated by a vision encoder to a shared…
Multimodal large language models (MLLMs) are changing how Blind and Low Vision (BLV) people access visual information. Unlike traditional visual interpretation tools that only provide descriptions, MLLM-enabled applications offer…
Large Language Models (LLMs) are known for their remarkable ability to generate synthesized 'knowledge', such as text documents, music, images, etc. However, there is a huge gap between LLM's and human capabilities for understanding…
Numerous models for grounded language understanding have been recently proposed, including (i) generic models that can be easily adapted to any given task and (ii) intuitively appealing modular models that require background knowledge to be…