It was hypothesized that subjects who liked a source of potential harm would estimate the probability of receiving harm mediated by him as lower than would subjects who disliked the source. To test the hypothesis, subjects were asked to estimate the probability that a liked or disliked confederate would deliver an electric shock on each of 10 trials. Subjects received shocks one, 5, or 9 times. An interaction between attraction and actual shock probability was found on probability estimations. Subjects in the negative attraction-90% probability condition estimated higher shock probabilities than did subjects in either the negative attraction-10% or positive attraction-90% conditions. Only when the subjects could make an attribution of malevolent intentions by receiving consistent punishment from a disliked harm-doer did subjective probability estimates rise above 50%. Subsequent liking for the confederate was determined by initial liking and was inversely related to the number of shocks received. The more often the confederate delivered shocks, the more active and the more potent he was perceived to be. (Author)