Aggression is a pervasive, wide spread problem that has a number of implications, one of which is the quality of the individual's relationship with peers, as they are often socially maladiusted. The Social Information Processing Model (Crick & Dodge, 1994) has frequently been used to conceptualise the difficulties socially maladjusted children experience, with one proposal being that they selectively attend to hostile or threatening cues in the environment. This study attempted to addresses weaknesses in the traditional methodology used to assess the model's applicability by proposing an alternative methodology, using a dot probe task. Based on the assumptions made by the model, it was hypothesised that children rated as experiencing difficulties, particularly in the form of conduct problems or peer relationships, would demonstrate an attentional bias towards hostile or ambiguous pictures. The hypotheses were tested using a correlational design, with a sample of 72 boys aged 11 to 13 years, recruited from local secondary schools. Data relating to the participants' social adjustment was gathered from both parents and the participants, using the appropriate versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires.