One of the main difficulties of applying an evolutionary algorithm (or, as a matter of fact, any heuristic method) to a given problem is to decide on an appropriate set of parameter values. Typically these are specified before the algorithm is run and include population size, selection rate, operator probabilities, not to mention the representation and the operators themselves. This book gives the reader a solid perspective on the different approaches that have been proposed to automate control of these parameters as well as understanding their interactions. The book covers a broad area of...