Résumé
Abstract Person-specific approaches are best suited to account for the complex, dynamic, and idiosyncratic processes from which cognitive, emotional, motivational, relational, and behavioral patterns emerge. Among these approaches, Whittle’s approximation of the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) enables the detection of long-term memory processes in relatively short time series of data. In this chapter, we outline the principles of Whittle’s MLE, illustrate its application—using R—to the motivational dynamics of approach and avoidance in an academic context, and then discuss the theoretical and practical implications of detecting long-memory processes in the field of education and learning.