The report describes a functional analysis of ongoing family interaction as it is found in the homes of aggressive and nonaggressive children. It was assumed that there were interdependencies holding between the behaviors of family members and those of the target child. Presumably, analyses of these serial dependencies would provide a base for understanding some of the determinants for both INTER- and INTRA-subject variations in the performance of children’s coercive behaviors. The data supported the notion that many boys labeled as Conduct Problems do indeed perform disruptive behaviors at higher rates than their normal counterparts. The data suggest that they manipulate their immediate social environment in a manner characteristic of three- or four-year old children. Aggressive boys tend to be members of aggressive families. For problem children, parental punishment accelerates ongoing coercive behaviors.