This study examined distorted self- and peer perceptions in aggressive and nonaggressiveboys at preadolescent and early adolescent age levels. Subjects completed semantic differentialratings of themselves and of their peer partners following two brief dyadic discussion tasks withcompetitive inductions and a game-playing task with a cooperative induction. Subjects also ratedtheir expectations for self- and peer behavior prior to the two competitive interaction tasks.Research assistants later rated videotapes of the interactions. Aggressive boys had more distortedperceptions of dyadic behavior as they overperceived aggression in their partners andunderperceived their own aggressiveness. These distorted perceptions of aggression carried overfor aggressive boys into the third interaction task with a cooperative induction, indicating theseboys' difficulty in modulating these perceptions when the overt demand for conflict is nolonger present in the situation. Results also indicated that aggressive boys' perceptions oftheir own behavior after the first interaction task is substantially affected by their priorexpectations, in comparison to nonaggressive boys who rely more on their actual behavior toform their perceptions.