The processing of social information (i.e., social cognitive processing) has been implicated as an individual-level correlate of conduct disorder and aggressive behaviors. There are six steps in this theory (Crick & Dodge, 1994): 1) encoding of external and internal cues; 2) interpretation and mental representation of those cues; 3) clarification or selection of a goal; 4) response access or construction; 5) response decision; and 6) behavioral enactment. In other words, individuals experience a social situation, interpret that situation based on the present situation and past experiences, and then respond based on this interpretation. For those with conduct disorder and for those who respond aggressively, the interpretation of social cues are distorted so that the social situations are seen as more malicious as they really are. Youth with conduct disorder also generally perceive aggressive responses as appropriate for reducing aversive stimuli. Several studies with children have confirmed this model (see Crick & Dodge, 1994 for a review), but few studies on adolescents have been conducted. In one cross-sectional study, 4th and 7th grade teachers nominated male students who were non-aggressive, moderately aggressive, and severely aggressive (Lochman & Dodge, 1994). The youth were compared on several measures of social cognition. The researchers found that moderately aggressive and severely aggressive boys had social-cognitive difficulties compared to the non-aggressive youth. The severely aggressive boys, likewise, had more difficulties than the moderately aggressive boys.