Figure 2.

Relationships between a single participant’s motivational variables varying in time (time-varying autoregressive model). Networks represent relationships between variables around the time points where 10% (panel (A)), 50% (B) and 90% (C) of the study had been completed. An arrow from one variable to the next means the former predicts the latter at the next time point; green for positive and red for negative correlation. If a stationary model was used, all periods would be collapsed to a single result, creating the impression that the relationships were homogeneous across the study period. Although this temporal variability can be due to, e.g., changes in how the participant answers the questions (boredom, shifting perception of the items, etc.), or poor reliability of the measures, complexity theory would also guide us to expect that in very concrete reality, the direction and strength of relationships can shift over time and differ based on the state a person resides in. As an example, the relationships between motivational variables during behaviour change initiation phase, may differ from the relationships during the maintenance phase.