Even though the concept of “I” emerges from the brain, some psychological discoveries suggest the brain creates a simulation of what it processes and also the world around it, and the sense of “I” can be located inside or outside that virtual body in that virtual space.
In this article, I will describe the 2 frames of reference: egocentric (you are at the center) and allocentric (you are outside an imagined center).
Research suggests[1] this localization of the self with respect to the outside world is a computational output rather than a fixed reality. The brain constructs a simulation of the external world. This simulation includes a center (coordinates 0,0), which serves as a reference for the map of objects and the self in the form of a grid created by a systematic, almost well-ordered firing of certain neurons. The self is located within that virtual space through distinct, competing, and interacting frames of reference. Whether “you” are located inside your body (egocentric) or exist as a coordinate in a mental model of the environment (allocentric) depends on specific neural substrates, sensory inputs, and the cognitive maps employed to navigate spatial organization.
Egocentric vs. Allocentric perception
Spatial cognition – driving, drawing tables/charts, spotting your cat, etc. relies on two primary systems of information organization: egocentric and allocentric reference frames.
Egocentric representation codes spatial locations relative to the observer. Specifically, relative to body parts such as the retina (eye-centered), head, or trunk. This frame is transient and action-oriented, essential for immediate sensorimotor transformations like reaching or grasping. When you are actively doing a task and have to move around, the ego-centric frame of perception is often the dominant frame because it is about the physical you moving in the environment. Here, the “I” is the absolute zero-point of the coordinate system.
Conversely, allocentric representation locates objects relative to other objects or environmental landmarks, independent of the observer’s position or orientation. This creates a “world-centered” stability where the environment remains constant even as the observer moves through it. When the brain shifts to an allocentric frame, the sense of “I” is effectively decentered; the self becomes merely another object within a broader spatial simulation.
The neural basis for these 2 frames of references are distinctly different. Egocentric processing is predominantly localized within the parieto-frontal network, specifically the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and the precuneus. Allocentric processing relies heavily on the ventral visual stream (inferior temporal gyrus) for object-to-object relations and the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex for environmental mapping. This distinction essentially means that a person uses one of the two modes during different activities/tasks[2]and may also have a default mode.
For example, while describing one’s own house, a person can describe it as a static structure (allocentric) – “from the entrance, the bedroom is to the right and the kitchen along the left wall.
Or, walk through the house and describe the house from a direct first-person point of view (egocentric) – “the left side is my bedroom, and the kitchen is behind.”
The same person could use allocentric perception while imagining a bath, but use ego-centric perception while actually bathing.
The mechanism of Cognitive Mapping with Grid Cells
The capacity to maintain an allocentric “view from above” in which the self is an external coordinate is supported by the concept of the cognitive map. This internal representation is not a static picture but a dynamic neural architecture involving specific cell types that act as the metric for this virtual space.
The grid cells, located in the medial entorhinal cortex, create the virtual space by a sort of location-based cell activation that does its own computations linked to the physical order of the cells. Unlike place cells in the hippocampus, which fire when an organism occupies a specific location, grid cells fire at multiple locations. They form a periodic hexagonal array that tiles the entire environment. This grid provides a metric system for the cognitive map, which allows the brain to calculate distances and trajectories independent of the ego’s (self) current orientation. Another group of cells called “head direction cells” works to support the function of grid cells. They, like the name suggests, signal the orientation of the head relative to environmental cues, distinct from the body’s position. These cells function as an internal compass that anchors the simulation of the world to external landmarks rather than the egocentric viewpoint.
Vision is not necessary for a frame of reference
The ability to project the “I” into an allocentric, virtual space appears heavily dependent on visual experience. Research comparing sighted, congenitally blind, and late-blind participants[3] reveals that vision is the primary calibrator for allocentric spatial organization. Congenitally blind individuals demonstrate significant deficits in allocentric processing, preferring an egocentric frame of reference even when task demands favor an external viewpoint.
In the absence of vision, the brain defaults to a self-referenced metric. Studies show that while sighted and late-blind individuals can flexibly switch between egocentric and allocentric frames (such as inferring the position of an object relative to another), congenitally blind participants struggle to form these object-to-object representations, relying instead on proprioceptive and vestibular cues to map space relative to their own body. Proprioception is the body’s sensory system that signals the location and movement of body parts in reference to itself. Vestibular cues are the inner ear’s signals related to gravity, movement, balance, acceleration, stability, and orientation. Together, they create a blind person’s default frame of reference, which is neither fully egocentric nor fully allocentric[4].
This suggests that the “virtual space” in which the self can be externally located is constructed largely through visual scaffolding. Without it, the “I” remains tightly coupled to the physical body’s sensorimotor feedback loops.
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Are these 2 POVs really distinct?
A critical re-evaluation of spatial cognition challenges the strict dichotomy between these frames. Filimon (2015)[5] argues that what is often termed “allocentric” processing may actually be a complex form of “ego-relative remapping”. Rather than holding a truly independent map of the world, the brain may be performing mental rotations and translations of the ego to align with external objects. For example, judging if a window is “left” of a door requires imagining the self at a specific vantage point where “left” has meaning.
This suggests that the “I” is never truly removed from the simulation. Instead, the brain simulates a “phantom ego” at a different location or orientation to compute spatial relationships. This hypothesis is supported by evidence that “allocentric” tasks often recruit the same parieto-frontal networks used for egocentric processing and increase the processing demand on working memory and mental imagery.
We integrate both frames of reference
Pretty much every daily activity from home to the outside can be considered as “navigating a complex environment”, unless you are too familiar and do it on autopilot. But, in the case of a new location or new activity, the brain will use both modes to map the terrain and plan actions based on what you see and how you will do things. This information is influenced by additional context in long-term memory and also sends information to your working memory, where you do the actual imagination.
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) has been identified as a critical translation hub where the switch between the egocentric “viewpoint” (parietal) and the allocentric “map” (medial temporal) occurs. The RSC allows the brain to orient the perceived visual scene within the broader cognitive map, which lets people answer questions like – “Where is this view located on the map?”.
When this translation fails, such as in cases of RSC lesions, individuals suffer from heading disorientation; they can recognize landmarks but cannot determine their orientation or location relative to them. They are trapped in an immediate, egocentric view and unable to place their “I” within the larger spatial context.
TL;DR
The location of the “I” is not a fixed biological fact but a virtual variable in a neural computation. Through the interaction of grid cells, head direction cells, and visual processing, the brain constructs a spatial organization that allows the self to be experienced as an embodied center of action or as a coordinate within a cognitive map. Whether we are “inside” our bodies or “outside” in the world depends on which neural simulation is currently dominant, and that may very well be task-dependent or, in my conjecture, trainable.
Sources
[2]: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17470218.2010.539700
[3]: https://www.academia.edu/473710/The_role_of_vision_in_egocentric_and_allocentric_spatial_frames_of_reference
[4]: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/p5621
[5]: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00648/full
Hey! Thank you for reading; hope you enjoyed the article. I run Cognition Today to capture some of the most fascinating mechanisms that guide our lives. My content here is referenced and featured in NY Times, Forbes, CNET, and Entrepreneur, and many other books & research papers.
I’m am a psychology SME consultant in EdTech with a focus on AI cognition and Behavioral Engineering. I’m affiliated to myelin, an EdTech company in India as well.
I’ve studied at NIMHANS Bangalore (positive psychology), Savitribai Phule Pune University (clinical psychology), Fergusson College (BA psych), and affiliated with IIM Ahmedabad (marketing psychology). I’m currently studying Korean at Seoul National University.
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