2010 - 2011The present research investigates neighbourhood size and neighbourhood frequency
effects in recognition of Italian written words. Neighbourhood size is the number of words that may
be generated by changing one letter of the target word, preserving letter positions; neighbourhood
frequency refers to the relationship between the frequencies of neighbours and the frequency of the
stimulus word (Grainger, O’Regan, Jacobs & Segui, 1989).
By extending the studies on Italian non words of Arduino & Burani (2004) and Mulatti, Peressotti
& Job (2007) to Italian five-letter words, four experiments were carried out in order to test the
neighbourhood size and the neighbourhood frequency effects, as well as the possible interaction
between them. We have used, as experimental tasks, the simple lexical decision, the word and nonword
naming and the lexical decision with unmasked orthographic priming.[edited by author]X n.s
