Toledo, C. F. M.Oliveira, L.Franca, P. M. [UNESP]2014-12-032014-12-032014-05-01Journal Of Computational And Applied Mathematics. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Bv, v. 261, p. 341-351, 2014.0377-0427http://hdl.handle.net/11449/111731This paper applies a genetic algorithm with hierarchically structured population to solve unconstrained optimization problems. The population has individuals distributed in several overlapping clusters, each one with a leader and a variable number of support individuals. The hierarchy establishes that leaders must be fitter than its supporters with the topological organization of the clusters following a tree. Computational tests evaluate different population structures, population sizes and crossover operators for better algorithm performance. A set of known benchmark test problems is solved and the results found are compared with those obtained from other methods described in the literature, namely, two genetic algorithms, a simulated annealing, a differential evolution and a particle swarm optimization. The results indicate that the method employed is capable of achieving better performance than the previous approaches in regard as the two criteria usually employed for comparisons: the number of function evaluations and rate of success. The method also has a superior performance if the number of problems solved is taken into account. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.341-351engGenetic algorithmsGlobal optimizationContinuous optimizationPopulation set-based methodsHierarchical structureArtigo10.1016/j.cam.2013.11.008WOS:000331507900028Acesso restrito