ABSTRACT
This book presents a series of essays on the contemporary psychology of reasoning, provided by a representative group of the leading researchers in the area. It is also a tribute to the work of Peter C. Wason, formerly of University College London, and now honourably retired. The fact that it has been easy to combine these two objectives in a single work is in itself a testament to the enormous influence of Wason in creating the field of research that we know today as the psychology of reasoning. In this opening chapter we intend to provide a brief account both of the development of the field and the role that Wason has played in it. First, we give some background to the origins of this book.
