A review of major theoretical approaches to social interactions suggests that reward value and information value are two of the most prominent characteristics of such events. To demonstrate the salience of these characteristics for one domain of interpersonal events, a multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis was conducted for interpersonal influence events. Personal descriptions of such events were gathered from 96 college students. Similarity judgments for the descriptions were provided by 31 participants who sorted the descriptions into categories according to perceived similarity. The dimensions identified by the MDS were interpreted through a multiple regression analysis of ratings made for a subset of the descriptions on 20 attribute scales. Ninety students participated in the attribute rating task. The two-dimensional model emerging from this investigation indicates that the most salient cognitive dimensions of interpersonal influence events are (a) the valence of outcomes for the target of influence, or reward value, and (b) the intentions and expectations of the agent, or information value. The utility of these dimensions in integrating previous research and theory is discussed. © 1987.