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Neurocognitive and theory of mind deficits, dysfunctional attitudes, and negative symptoms have all been linked to poor functioning in schizophrenia, but interactions among these factors have not been extensively examined. We investigated whether dysfunctional attitudes (e.g., defeatist performance beliefs and social disinterest attitudes) moderated associations between neurocognition and theory of mind and poor everyday functioning and social competence in 146 participants with schizophrenia. We examined whether cognitive deficits are more likely to influence functioning in participants with more severe dysfunctional attitudes. Social disinterest, but not defeatist performance, attitudes were found to moderate associations between cognitive deficits and social competence but not everyday functioning, such that neurocognition and theory of mind deficits were only associated with poorer social competence in participants with more severe social disinterest attitudes. In contrast, no significant moderation effects were found for defeatist performance beliefs. Findings indicate that deficits in abilities were less likely to impact social competence in participants with greater interest in socializing. It may be that greater motivation for socializing engenders increased practice and engagement in social interactions, which then leads to greater social competence despite poor cognitive abilities. Treatments that target social disinterest attitudes may lead to greater social competence and engagement., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Problems in real-world functioning are pervasive in schizophrenia and much recent effort has been devoted to uncovering factors which contribute to poor functioning. The goal of this study was to examine the role of four such factors: social cognition (theory of mind), neurocognition, negative symptoms, and functional capacity (social competence). 178 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed measures of theory of mind, neurocognition, negative symptoms, social competence, and self-reported functioning. Path models sought to determine the relationships among these variables. Theory of mind as indexed by the Hinting Task partially mediated the relationship between neurocognition and social competence, and negative symptoms and social competence demonstrated significant direct paths with self-reported functioning. Study results suggest theory of mind serves as an important mediator in addition to previously investigated social cognitive domains of emotional and social perception. The current study also highlights the need to determine variables which mediate the relationship between functional capacity and real-world functioning., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)