This paper describes a study designed to provide information regarding children's perceptions of their own physiological responses associated with feelings of apprehension. A second goal was to compare children's self reports with their reports on parent emotional responses and also with parents' reports on their own stress-related physiological symptoms. A group of 47 boys and 51 girls, seven to ten years of age, were individually presented with a story of a hypothetical child's confrontation with an anxiety-arousing situation. Each child was asked to imagine being in a similar situation and to rate the degree to which each of ten common physiological responses to stress would be experienced. An adaptation of the Somatic Perception Questionnaire (Children's SPQ) was the measuring instrument used. The child was also asked to imagine his/her parent(s) in a similar situation and to report what physical symptoms the parent might experience. One or both parents of approximately half the children completed an adult SPQ in reaction to a story psychologically similar to that used with the children. Children's responses revealed no relationship between response and sex or age (in contrast to sex differences noted in the adult responses). Symptoms most often reported by children for themselves were increased heart rate, restlessness and awareness of heart activity. Children's reports on expected parent symptoms differed significantly from their reports on their own experience. In general, the rank order of symptoms based on frequency of response was similar for child and adult responses. (BF)