Performance on the antisaccade task predicts dropout from cognitive training

Cognitive training programs have gained immense popularity in recent years. Given that training regimes tend to be extremely demanding, and dropout rates are sometimes alarming, it is surprising how little we know about individual attributes that might predict dropout. We explored whether working memory capacity and inhibition, as measured in pre-test, might predict attrition from what turned out to be a dropout inducing cognitive training program. We found that overall working memory capacity did not predict dropout but that inhibition (poor performance in the Antisaccade task) did. Implications for the design of future training interventions are discussed.