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This paper examines the strategies used in solving prevaricative reasoning problems. The task consisted of a noncontradictory set of propositions followed by an assumption that introduced an inconsistency. Ss were required to restore consistency by assigning truth values to propositions. When reasoning from false assumptions, Ss exhibit a specific strategy in assigning truth values: If forced to choose between the truth of a generality (e.g., All As are Bs) and that of a particuIar fact (e.g., This Y is a Z), the Ss assign the generaIity TRUE and the fact FALSE. Affirmative generaIities are assigned TRUE more often than are negative ones, and those expressing class inclusion are assigned TRUE more often than those expressing property assignment. The data show that the selection of a "path" through this hypotheticaI reasoning problem cannot be attributed to either the syntactic form or the preexperimentaI credibiIity of the propositions. A generality coding model was discussed in terms of strategies shown in prevaricative reasoning problems as weil as in other inference tasks.

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