Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
Let  
 $G$  be a finite group, and let  
 $k$  be a field whose characteristic  
 $p$  divides the order of  
 $G$ . Freyd's generating hypothesis for the stable module category of  
 $G$  is the statement that a map between finite-dimensional  
 $kG$ -modules in the thick subcategory generated by  
 $k$  factors through a projective if the induced map on Tate cohomology is trivial. We show that if  
 $G$  has periodic cohomology, then the generating hypothesis holds if and only if the Sylow  
 $p$ -subgroup of  
 $G$  is  
 ${{C}_{2}}$  or  
 ${{C}_{3}}$ . We also give some other conditions that are equivalent to the  
 $\text{GH}$  for groups with periodic cohomology.