Bronevich, Andrey G.Oliveira, José Valente de2017-04-072017-04-072016-071567-7818AUT: JVO01594;http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/9472The role of the selection operation-that stochastically discriminate between individuals based on their merit-on the updating of the probability model in univariate estimation of distribution algorithms is investigated. Necessary conditions for an operator to model selection in such a way that it can be used directly for updating the probability model are postulated. A family of such operators that generalize current model updating mechanisms is proposed. A thorough theoretical analysis of these operators is presented, including a study on operator equivalence. A comprehensive set of examples is provided aiming at illustrating key concepts, main results, and their relevance.engjournal article10.1007/s11047-015-9499-0