Phonological neighbourhood density effects on Spanish spoken word recognition and word learning

Phonological neighbourhood density (ND) is negatively linked to word recognition speed in English, but the opposite has been reported in Spanish. Additionally, while ND is facilitatory for English word learning, ND effects on Spanish word learning remain unclear. The current study tested whether ND works differently across languages. We examined the possibility that word recognition differences between languages stem from differences in stimuli, not language per se. Native Spanish-speaking participants completed a lexical decision task where words orthogonally varied across ND and length. We found slower recognition for high-ND words regardless of length, in line with English findings. ND effects on word learning also paralleled those in English, with better learning for high-ND words. These findings challenge previously reported differences between English and Spanish and indicate that the interactive dynamics of neighbourhood activation, and their effects on word processing and learning, are similar across the two languages.