Action

Abstract

Actions can be either physical, virtual, or mental and act on either physical, virtual, or mental objects. For instance, Maria Montessori constructed educational materials that enabled students to learn by manipulation. The materials required physical actions on physical objects, such as combining beads to depict operations on numbers. Nintendo’s Wii video game supported physical actions on virtual objects. Gestures are actions that often apply to imaginary objects. Virtual actions involve manipulating computer consoles such as those used in robotic surgery to operate on physical objects. Virtual actions on virtual objects occur in many video games and instructional software. Virtual actions on mental objects occur in computer systems that use audio feedback to help the blind learn to navigate. Mental actions can be captured in brain–computer interfaces to control both physical robots and information on a computer screen. Mental actions on mental objects produce mental simulations. The increasing popularity of augmented reality will require more research on the pairing of physical, virtual, and mental actions and objects.