Abstract Growth rates and recidivism of juvenile delinquency make the study and understanding of this behavior a problem of great relevance to psychology. In the following research paper present the results of a study which analyzes the differences between social attitudes and cognitive strategies between young offenders and non-offenders in the Bogota city. The research was framed inside the context of a social competition model (AECS) as proposed by Moraleda, Gonzalez & Garcia (1998). We used a descriptive-comparative design with two probability clusters: the first being 205 young people who currently are enrolled in one of two rehabilitation institutions within the city of Bogota, and the second was made up of 140 young non-offenders from a Bogota high school. All of the children were aged between the 13 and the 19 years and belonged to the strata 1 and 2 mainly. We applied the test of “Social Attitudes and Cognitive Strategies” (AECS) Moraleda, Gonzalez and Garcia (1998) that previously was adjusted to the characteristics of the studied population. The comparative descriptive analysis was performed from the level of measurement of each of the variables and significant differences among the two groups were found in 13 of the 19 sub-scales of the test. This allowed us to recognize characteristic factors of young offenders such as family breakdown, belonging to low socio economic status and significant levels of social incompetence. Resumen Los indices de crecimiento y reincidencia de la delincuencia juvenil hacen del estudio y comprension de esta conducta un problema de gran relevancia para la Psicologia. Por ello, en el presente articulo de investigacion, se presentan los resultados de un trabajo en el que se indagaron las diferencias entre actitudes y estrategias cognitivas sociales en jovenes infractores y no infractores de la ciudad de Bogota. La investigacion se enmarco en el contexto del modelo de competencia social (AECS) propuesto por Moraleda, Gonzalez & Garcia (1998). Se utilizo un diseno descriptivocomparativo con dos muestras probabilisticas seleccionadas por conglomerados: la primera, de 205 jovenes que actualmente hacen parte de dos instituciones de reeducacion en la ciudad de Bogota; y la segunda, conformada por 140 jovenes no infractores de un colegio del Distrito Capital. Todos ellos con edades comprendidas entre los 13 y los 19 anos y pertenecientes a los estratos 1 y 2, principalmente. Se aplico la prueba de “Actitudes y Estrategias Cognitivas Sociales” (AECS), previamente ajustada a las caracteristicas de la poblacion estudiada. El analisis descriptivo comparativo se realizo a partir del nivel de medicion de cada una de las variables, encontrandose diferencias significativas entre los dos grupos en 13 de las 19 sub-escalas de la prueba. Esto permitio el reconocimiento de factores caracteristicos de los jovenes infractores participantes, tales como la descomposicion familiar, la pertenencia al estrato socioeconomico bajo y niveles significativos de incompetencia social.