Lexical decision in same-script vs. different-script cognates

Cognates in same-script language pairs tend to have both orthographic and phonological similarities, while these overlaps may be separable in different-script language pairs. This study aimed to tease apart the cognate effects using same-script Chinese/Kanji cognates and different-script English/Katakana cognates. Fourteen trilingual Chinese-English-Japanese participants completed lexical decision in Chinese, Kanji, English, and Katakana, while 30 control Chinese-English participants completed the Chinese and English blocks. Linear mixed-effects models of real word RTs showed a main effect of cognate in trilingual group, with cognates processed 19ms more quickly than non-cognates, and a main effect of script (Chinese < Kanji = English < Katakana), but no interaction of cognate and script. Among control participants, Chinese was processed more quickly than English, but no cognate or interaction effect was apparent. The similar cognate facilitation across same-script and different-script cognates suggested that both orthographic and phonological information contributes to the cognate facilitation. Copyright © 2020 The 61st Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society.