The research used a quantitative cross-sectional design to survey 135 pediatricians regarding their interpretations of 40 vignettes of abuse and neglect. The participants also rated 15 signs according to their perception of the extent to which each sign could lead to a suspicion of maltreatment. Situations that fit the biomedical perspective ranked higher in level of risk to the child than did situations involving psychological abuse and educational neglect. In addition, situations that described explicit signs or negative consequences of an act ranked higher than those in which rationalization by the parent was included. Findings indicated that concrete evidence affects pediatricians' judgments regarding what constitutes maltreatment and that pediatricians were less willing to report child abuse or neglect to the police than to the welfare department. Findings suggested that pediatricians may overlook certain situations of child abuse or neglect due to inadequate awareness of the psychosocial factors needed to identify maltreated children. In addition, pediatricians' willingness to report seemed to depend on their attitude toward the type of professional receiving the report; thus, they may disregard situations requiring police involvement. Tables and 17 references (Author abstract modified)