Age-related correlations in auditory tasks may reflect frequency selectivity, not temporal coding.

Evidence

It should be noted, however, that the positive correlation found for the TIME and HUGGINS tasks was due predominantly to the consistent age effect in the both tasks (see Fig. 1 ). When the effects of age were partialled out, the correlation coefficient was not significantly different from zero (r = − 0.24, p = 0.191), implying that the positive correlation was due to underlying non-temporal factors that are sensitive to aging. A candidate for such a factor is frequency selectivity. … Peripheral frequency resolution could influence the representation of interaural correlation across a frequency axis, which is the basis for the Huggins pitch. Indeed, ERB was significantly correlated with thresholds for the TIME and HUGGINS tasks (ERB-TIME: r = 0.30, p = 0.047; ERB-HUGGINS: r = 0.35, p = 0.050; the effects of age were not partialled out). — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1026

It should be noted, however, that the positive correlation found for the TIME and HUGGINS tasks was due predominantly to the consistent age effect in the both tasks (see Fig. 1 ). When the effects of age were partialled out, the correlation coefficient was not significantly different from zero (r = − 0.24, p = 0.191), implying that the positive correlation was due to underlying non-temporal factors that are sensitive to aging. A candidate for such a factor is frequency selectivity. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1026

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: A subtle method point: correlated age-driven declines across tasks can masquerade as shared mechanisms, and partialling out a grouping variable can unmask the true driver (here, frequency selectivity). Awareness of this confound is broadly applicable.
• XREF: Echoes the general statistical lesson in the Milgrom/trust material about carefully decomposing correlated predictors.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 1026