First Advisor
Bill Griesar
Date of Award
Winter 2-27-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology and University Honors
Department
Psychology
Language
English
Subjects
cultural immersion, neuroplasticity, cultural neuroscience, perceptual adaptation, predictive processing, Chile
Abstract
Abstract
This thesis explores how cultural immersion reshapes perception over time. Rather than focusing only on language acquisition, the project examines how sustained exposure to a new cultural and linguistic environment alters sensory processing, cognitive effort, and emotional experience. The study draws on cultural neuroscience and neuroplasticity research to frame immersion as a process of adaptive recalibration.
Over four weeks in Valparaíso, Chile, I documented daily changes in auditory processing, visual attention, emotional response, and social interpretation. Journal entries were analyzed using qualitative thematic coding and organized into five categories: language overload, cognitive effort, automaticity, anxiety/frustration, and belonging/comfort. Weekly intensity ratings were assigned on a five-point scale to visualize changes across time.
Findings show a clear pattern: references to overload and cognitive strain declined steadily, while automaticity and emotional comfort increased. These shifts suggest that cultural immersion involves measurable changes in perceptual efficiency and affective regulation. The results align with models of predictive processing and experience-dependent neuroplasticity, demonstrating that adaptation unfolds gradually through repeated engagement with unfamiliar environments.
Recommended Citation
Castillo, Alexa R., "Rewiring the Senses: Neural and Perceptual Adaptation Through Cultural Immersion in Chile" (2026). University Honors Theses. Paper 1768.