British Journal of Clinical Psychology (2016) © 2016 The British Psychological Society www.wileyonlinelibrary.com Intrinsic motivation as a mediator between metacognition deficits and impaired functioning in psychosis Lauren Luther 1 *, Ruth L. Firmin 1 , Jenifer L. Vohs 2,3,4 , Kelly D. Buck 5 , Kevin L. Rand 1 and Paul H. Lysaker 2,5 1 Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 2 Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 3 Prevention and Recovery Center for Early Psychosis, Midtown Community Mental Health Centers, Eskenazi Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 4 Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, Indiana University Psychotic Disorders Research Program, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 5 Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Objective. Poor functioning has long been observed in individuals with psychosis. Recent studies have identified metacognition – one’s ability to form complex ideas about oneself and others and to use that information to respond to psychological and social challenges–as being an important determinant of functioning. However, the exact process by which deficits in metacognition lead to impaired functioning remains unclear. This study first examined whether low intrinsic motivation, or the tendency to pursue novel experiences and to engage in self-improvement, mediates the relationship between deficits in metacognition and impaired functioning. We then examined whether intrinsic motivation significantly mediated the relationship when controlling for age, education, symptoms, executive functioning, and social cognition. Design. Mediation models were examined in a cross-sectional data set. Methods. One hundred and seventy-five individuals with a psychotic disorder completed interview-based measures of metacognition, intrinsic motivation, symptoms, and functioning and performance-based measures of executive functioning and social cognition. Results. Analyses revealed that intrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between metacognition deficits and impaired functioning (95% CI of indirect effect [0.12–0.43]), even after controlling for the aforesaid variables (95% CI of indirect effect [0.04–0.29]). Conclusions. Results suggest that intrinsic motivation may be a mechanism that underlies the link between deficits in metacognition and impaired functioning and indicate that metacognition and intrinsic motivation may be important treatment targets to improve functioning in individuals with psychosis. *Correspondence should be addressed to Lauren Luther, Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St., LD 124, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA (email: lutherl@iupui.edu). DOI:10.1111/bjc.12104 1