Action Capacities in Play+ are categorized into two main types: Mental Capacities and Physical Capacities. These capacities influence how both the handler and the dog engage with their environment and each other. They resonate with Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy, specifically the concepts of the Mental and Physical Poles.

Mental Capacities

Mental Capacities involve cognitive faculties that enable complex thought, planning, and emotional regulation. These include but are not limited to:

• Attention Management: The ability to focus, shift, and sustain attention effectively.
• Decision-making: The ability to choose appropriate actions based on various cues and signals.
• Problem-solving: The ability to work through challenges and adapt strategies as needed.
• Expectancy: Forming predictions about future events based on past experiences and current stimuli.
• Communication: Understanding and appropriately responding to both verbal and non-verbal cues.

Mental Capacities align with the Mental Pole in Whitehead's philosophy and correspond with Operant Conditioning. They encompass constructs like Initiative, Duration, and Attention.

Mental Capacities dictate how and if affordances are prehended. They shape what is conceivable and actionable, thereby serving as a governing factor in the interplay of expectancy, opportunity, and achievement.

Physical Capacities

Physical Capacities involve the bodily faculties that enable effective movement and interaction. These include but are not limited to:

• Coordination: The ability to move different parts of the body in a coordinated manner.
• Strength: The physical power to perform tasks.
• Agility: The ability to move quickly and easily.
• Endurance: The capacity to sustain prolonged physical or mental effort.
• Timing: The skill of performing actions at the appropriate moments.

Physical Capacities resonate with the Physical Pole in Whitehead's philosophy and align with Classical Conditioning. They correspond to Primal Elements like Position, Duration, and Bite.

Physical Capacities serve as filters in the prehension process, disclosing or hiding affordances within the environment. Without the necessary capacities, certain affordances become invisible or irrelevant; they do not extend their 'invitation' to the individual.

Governing Prehension of Affordances