Present-Centered Cognition Model (PCCM): A Cross-Substrate Framework for Understanding Consciousness, Presence, and Latent States in Humans and Machines

Present Centred Cognition Model proposes that cognition is activation-bound and present-centred, with apparent continuity arising through reconstructive processes rather than persistent experiential flow. The paper examines this structure across human cognition and large language models, arguing that persistent referential grounding must be located in the world rather than assumed within the agent. These claims have implications for AI memory, identity continuity, and inference-time governance.