The purpose of this study was to examine children's perceptions of authority figures as a function of the variables of sex, age, ethnic group and socio-economic status (SES). The authority figures included policeman, principal, teacher, father, mother, and overall (cumulative effects of all authority). Questions from the Caldwell Preschool Inventory were administered to 90 preschool children. A modification of this instrument was administered to 526 elementary school children (616--total population). Responses were categorized: threatening, protective, ambivalent, or neutral. Interrater agreement was greater than .90 in all cases. Analysis of the data demonstrated that for preschoolers, teachers and overall were more threatening to boys than to girls, and that teacher, policeman, father and overall were more threatening to lower "SES" children than to middle "SES" children. The elementary school sample demonstrated that threat scores for the principal and overall were greater for intermediate age children than for primary children. The findings suggest that perceptions of authority figures are probably initially modeled by the particular subculture of the child and that these perceptions are subject to change. (Author/AJ)