Mean d’ scores.

Mean d’ score by degree of difficulty, grouped by age group and musical training for intensity (A), spectral envelope (B) and temporal envelope (C) features. Standard error is shown by grey shading around each line. While musical training was a continuous variable in statistical analysis, for visualization purposes, participants with scores over 25 were considered musicians, and participants with scores less than 25 were considered non-musicians.</p

Mean d’ plotted on a common perceptual scale, older adults.

Performance plotted against dissimilarity, allowing features to be directly compared for older adults: non-musicians (A) and musicians (B). Standard errors are shown by grey shading around each line.</p

Summary statistics (mean, standard deviation) of d’ and transformed d’ by level, age group, musicianship, and feature.

(DOCX)</p

Mixed effects multiple linear regression model for temporal envelope feature.

Coefficients for each predictor (and each degree of difficulty, as relevant) along with standard error (SE) and predictor R2 are reported along with Pearson’s correlation, 95% CIs, p-value and R2 for full models in the note below.</p

Participant demographics–Experiment 1.

Participant demographics–Experiment 1.</p

Illustration of stimuli and feature manipulations.

(A) Sample stimuli, where black note heads depict the target pattern while grey note heads depict the distractor sequence. An example of a deviant target is given in the third measure, where the two notes marked by the bracket were reversed in order. (B) Temporal envelopes varying in impulsiveness from 60 ms FDHM (full duration at half-maximum) to 160 ms FDHM (the target notes). Only 4 of the 20 possible temporal envelopes are shown here. (C) Spectral envelopes varying from 3 dB of attenuation per harmonic (the target notes—circles) to 25 dB of attenuation per harmonic (triangles). Only 3 out of the 20 possible spectral envelopes are shown here. Fig adapted from Marozeau et al. (2013), with permission.</p

Full model and t-test details for all linear modelling.

(DOCX)</p

Scatterplot of the perceptual dimensions derived from the MDS analysis against the physical features.

The equation in each panel describes the regression line. Logarithmic functions are used for temporal and spectral envelope as in Marozeau et al. [7], Fig 8; they offer better correlation to the perceptual dimensions than linear functions.</p

Mean d’ plotted on a common perceptual scale, younger adults.

Performance plotted against dissimilarity, allowing features to be directly compared for younger adults: non-musicians (A) and musicians (B). Standard errors are shown by grey shading around each line.</p

Mixed effects multiple linear regression model for spectral envelope feature.

Coefficients for each predictor (and each degree of difficulty, as relevant) along with standard error (SE) and predictor R2 are reported along with Pearson’s correlation, 95% CIs, p-value and R2 for full models in the note below.</p