Annika Andersson

Associate professor

Department of Swedish Faculty of Arts and Humanities

annika.andersson@lnu.se

+46 470-76 74 34

Annika Andersson trained as a preschool teacher at Kristianstad University in 1986 and worked as a preschool teacher in Lund and Sydney (Australia) until 2001 when she moved to Eugene Oregon. At the University of Oregon she earned a BA in psychology (developmental psychology) and linguistics. This was followed by an MS and PhD in psychology in the field of cognitive neurology.

During her years as a preschool teacher and throughout her education, the focus has always been on second language learning. The big question has been what affects how well we can learn a first language and a second language. In her research, she partly uses proficiency tests but also electroencephalograms (EEG), the latter of the event-related potentials (ERP) type. With the help of ERP, she can measure millisecond by millisecond how the brain processes a language online while a language is being read or listened to.

Orcid Id https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6731-1522

Research gate

Google scholar

Teaching

Course Coordinator 2026 Spring

4Sv206 Psycholinguistics

Course Coordinator 2026 Fall

Efficient Scientific Writing

4Sv206 Psycholinguistics

Research

Externally funded projects

Links take you to the funder's information about the project and to Linnaeus University's website about the project.

Riksbankens Jubileumsfond: Adult second language acquisition through choir singing: affecting proficiency & phonological ERP effects. Dr. Laszlo Harmat, co applicants Dr. Andersson, and PostDoc Sanna Kraft. P25-0515, Total 5,065,031 SEK

Magnus Bergvalls stiftelse: Från sparkonto till avkastningshorisont. En pilot-studie av hur individer bearbetar och uppfattar privatekonomiska begrepp. PI Claes Ohlsson, co applicant Dr Andersson Total 50,000 SEK

Stiftelsen Marcus och Amalia Wallenbergs Minnesfond: Chronic stress and second language acquisition in immigrant children and their parents, (CALM) PI Dr. Sayehli, SU, co-applicants Dr. Andersson, Lnu, Dr. Pakulak, SU, Dr. Dylman, MDU. Total 5,000,000 MAW 2024.0126

Recently completed projects

These projects no longer have funding but are still ongoing (analyses and publications)

Stiftelsen Marcus och Amalia Wallenbergs Minnesfond: Language processing: domain general or domain specific? ERP studies of verbal and visual language processing in children with typical and atypical language development PI Dr Andersson, co applicants Dr Hansson, Dr Cohn, Dr Drury, Dr Pakulak. MAW 2019.0083. Total 4,700,000 sek

Internally funded projects

NLU Strategiska satsningar: Dags att lyfta blicken: Undersökning av fonologisk träning i sitt sammanhang: En pilotundersökning. PI Dr Andersson, co applicants Dr Fälth, Dr Matta, Dr Kraft. 2024-2028

Sara-Lisa initiative: Neural and cognitive mechanisms linking singing, music, and language: AI-based modelling and clinical applications. PI Dr. Andersson, co applicants Dr. Hermat, Dr. Ocic Ihrmark. Total 467,700 SEK 2026

Recently completed projects

These projects no longer have funding but are still ongoing (analyses and publications)

FKH excellensmedel: Pilot study of how rhythm affects adults’ language processing as recorded by ERPs. PI Dr Andersson, co applicant Dr Kraft Prof Tamara Ratchke Total 499,957 SEK 2025

Commissions

Internal assignments

Director of Linnaeus University Language, Cognition, and Culture Lab--LiLa, 2019--present

Ethical Ombudsman for Research Ethics (ombud.forskningsetik@lnu.se)

Chair of the Board of Supervisors Language, 2026

External assignments

Scientific Secretary, Ethics Review Authority 2025-2026

My research groups

My ongoing research projects

Publications

Article in journal (Refereed)

Fairbanks, M.S., Viengkham, C., Andersson, A., Baldwin, D.A., Spehar, B., et al. (2025). A question of Jackson Pollock’s balance : using lacunarity and fractal analysis to distinguish poured paintings by adults and children. Frontiers in Physics. 13.
Status: Published
Lindfors, H., Hansson, K., Cohn, N., Andersson, A. (2025). Similarities in semantic processing across verbal and pictorial domains in school children with developmental language disorder. Frontiers in Psychology. 16 (1 april).
Status: Published
Lindfors, H., Hansson, K., Pakulak, E., Cohn, N., Andersson, A. (2024). Semantic processing of verbal narratives compared to semantic processing of visual narratives : an ERP study of school-aged children. Frontiers in Psychology. 14.
Status: Published
Andersson, A., Sanders, L.D., Coch, D. (2023). Auditory pseudoword rhyming effects in bilingual children reflect second language proficiency : An ERP study. Brain and Language. 240.
Status: Published
Farshchi, S., Andersson, A., Van De Weijer, J., Paradis, C. (2023). Brain responses to negated and affirmative meanings in the auditory modality. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 17.
Status: Published
Andersson, A., Gullberg, M. (2022). First Language Matters : Event-Related Potentials Show Crosslinguistic Influence on the Processing of Placement Verb Semantics. Frontiers in Psychology. 13. 1-19.
Status: Published
Sayehli, S., Gullberg, M., Newman, A.J., Andersson, A. (2022). Native Word Order Processing Is Not Uniform : An ERP Study of Verb-Second Word Order. Frontiers in Psychology. 13. 1-22.
Status: Published
Andersson, A., Lindfors, H., Hansson, K. (2022). Comprehending L2 Comprehension : A study of Arabic-Swedish bilingual preschoolers’ performance on a Swedish proficiency test. HumaNetten. (48). 9-36.
Status: Published
Farshchi, S., Andersson, A., Van De Weijer, J., Paradis, C. (2020). Processing sentences with sentential and prefixal negation : an event-related potential study. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience. 36 (1). 84-98.
Status: Published
Andersson, A., Sayehli, S., Gullberg, M. (2019). Language background affects online word order processing in a second language but not offline. Bilingualism : Language and Cognition. 22 (4). 802-825.
Status: Published
Andersson, A., Sanders, L.D., Coch, D., Karns, C.M., Neville, H.J. (2018). Anterior and posterior ERP rhyming effects in 3- to 5-year-old children. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 30. 178-190.
Status: Published
Baldwin, D.A., Andersson, A., Saffran, J.R., Meyer, M. (2008). Segmenting dynamic human action via statistical structure. Cognition. 106 (3). 1382-1407.
Status: Published

Conference paper (Refereed)

Andersson, A., Fälth, L. (2023). How to think about preschool children with no knowledge of Swedish and low levels of motivation to learn the new language. .
Andersson, A., Fälth, L. (2023). On motivating children to learn a host language. .
Lindfors, H., Hansson, K., Andersson, A. (2023). Seriality surpasses hierarchy when children process sentences and picture sequences. .
Lindfors, H., Hansson, K., Andersson, A. (2022). Skolbarns bearbetning av semantik i bildserier och i auditivt presenterade meningar i berättelser: En ERP-studie. .
Sayehli, S., Andersson, A., Dylman, A., Pakulak, E. (2022). The impact of stress on host language acquisition of immigrant children. .
Lindfors, H., Drury, J., Pakulak, E., Hansson, K., Andersson, A. (2022). Prolonged pauses in spoken sentences reveal ERP responses in children similar to adult brain responses to constituent interruptions in visual narrative structure. .
Matta, C., Fälth, L., Wernholm, M., Andersson, A. (2021). Raising our eyes from effects : The mechanistic rewards of integrating neuroimaging, behavioral measures and ethnographic methods in the study of an educational intervention. Workshop: Mechanisms in the Sciences. Integrating Social and Biological Perspectives. September 27th and 28th, 2021 : Department of Logic, History and Philosophy of Science. UNED-Madrid.
Andersson, A., Tärning, B., Gulz, A. (2021). Challenges for deploying math intervention in already challenged early childcare centers. .
Andersson, A., Gullberg, M. (2021). Cross-linguistic influence and fine-grained placement verb semantics: Evidence from ERPs and appropriateness ratings : part of the symposium Cross-linguistic similarities in language learning and use. .
Hansson, K., Blomberg, F., Cohn, N., Andersson, A. (2019). Processing of verbal and visual language structure : Applying the visual language paradigm on children with and without developmental language disorders. European Group for Child Language Disorders (EUCLDIS 2019), Tel-Aviv University.
Andersson, A., Cohn, N., Blomberg, F., Hansson, K. (2019). The First Step to Study Neurophysiological Processing of Visual and Verbal Language in Children with Developmental Language Disorder. The 40th Annual Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders (SRCLD), June 6-8, 2019, Madison, Wisconsin.
Farshchi, S., Andersson, A., Van De Weijer, J., Paradis, C. (2019). ERP studies of visual and auditory processing of negated sentences. [Presented at] The XIV International Symposium of Pshycholinguistics. 85-85.
Farshchi, S., Andersson, A., Van De Weijer, J., Paradis, C. (2019). Event-related potentials to visual processing of incongruities in negated and affirmative sentences. Presented at the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language Meeting (SNL 2019), Helsinki, Finland, October 21-23, 2019.
Blomberg, F., Hansson, K., Cohn, N., Andersson, A. (2019). Verbal and visual language structure : A study of children with developmental language disorder probing domain general processing. The Lund Symposium on Cognition, Communication and Learning, April 24-26, 2019, Lund, Sweden.
Andersson, A., Blomberg, F., Gullberg, M. (2019). Crosslinguistic influence in the processing of L2 verb semantics? : An auditory ERP study. EuroSLA 29, The 29th Conference of the European Second Language Association : Book of Abstracts. 235-235.
Blomberg, F., Gullberg, M., Andersson, A. (2019). First language matters : An auditory ERP study of crosslinguistic influence effects on semantic processing. SNL 2019, August 20-22, Helsinki, Finland : Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language. 229-230.
Farshchi, S., Andersson, A., Van De Weijer, J., Paradis, C. (2019). Integration of negation in sentence comprehension : An ERP study. SALC7 - book of abstracts : The seventh conference of the Scandinavian Association for Language and Cognition, Aarhus University, May 22 – 24, 2019, Building 1441, Tåsingegade 3, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark. 41-43.
Andersson, A., Gullberg, M. (2018). Standing avocados, or when ratings of sentences and brain processing tells different stories. The ASLA Symposium 2018.
Andersson, A. (2017). Standing avocados, or when ratings of sentences and brain processing tells different stories. LU Humanities Lab 10 years 2017 : A celebratory symposium October 19, 2017 : How Lund University Humanities Lab has changed research.
Andersson, A., Gullberg, M. (2016). Event processing is affected by an interaction between actual and canonical event properties and language : a visual ERP study. Cognitive Neuroscience Society : 23rd Annual Meeting, April 2-5, 2016, New York Hilton Midtown, New York City, New York : 2016 Annual Meeting Program. 94-94.
Andersson, A., Gullberg, M. (2016). An ERP study of the relationship between verb semantics and events. The 8th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language.
Andersson, A., Gullberg, M. (2016). Kan du ställa en avokado? : När det uppstår en konflikt mellan språket och vad hjärnan tycker. Humanist- och teologdagarna 2016.
Gärdenfors, P., Mårtensson, J., Andersson, A., Gulz, A., Sahlén, B., et al. (2015). Tänka, språka, lära : Ny forskning ger konkreta verktyg för lärande och lärandemiljöer. Almedalsveckan 2015.
Andersson, A., Sayehli, S., Gullberg, M. (2015). Native word order processing is not uniform : An ERP study of verb-second word order. Cognitive Neuroscience Society, 22nd Annual Meeting, March 28-31, 2015 Hyatt Regency Hotel, San Francisco, California : 2015 Annual Meeting Program. 218-218.
Andersson, A., Sanders, L.D., Karns, C., Neville, H.J. (2014). Effects of age of acquisition (AoA) and proficiency on processing of syntax in 6- to 8-year old monolingual and bilingual children : an ERP study. Cognitive Neuroscience Society : 21st Annual Meeting, April 5-8, 2014, Marriott Copley Place Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts : 2014 Annual Meeting Program. 84-84.
Andersson, A., Sanders, L.D., Karns, C., Neville, H.J. (2014). Effects of age of acquisition (AoA) and proficiency on processing of syntax in 6- to 8-year old monolingual and bilingual children : an ERP study. Society for the Neurobiology of Language : Amsterdam 2014, Conference Proceedings. 216-216.
Andersson, A., Gullberg, M., Sayehli, S. (2014). Today read she the paper : An ERP study of the processing of word order in Swedish L2. Eurosla 24 : Book of Abstracts. 46-46.
Andersson, A., Sayehli, S., Gullberg, M. (2014). Language background affects word order processing in a second language online but not offline. Culture, Brain, Learning : Wallenberg Network Initiative : Lund University, nov 19-24, 2014. 15-15.
Andersson, A., Fanning, J.L., Sanders, L.D. (2013). The role of age of acquisition and proficiency on nonword rhyming in 6- to 8-year-old bilingual children. Cognitive Neuroscience Society : 20th Annual Meeting, April 13-16, 2013, Hyatt Regency Hotel, San Francisco, California : 2013 Annual Meeting Program. 75-75.
Andersson, A., Fanning, J., Neville, H.J. (2009). Monolingual and bilingual 6-8 year old children display N400 responses mediated by proficiency and age of acquisition. 2009 SRCD Biennial Meeting, Society for Research in Child Development : Denver, Colorado, USA, April 2-4, 2009.
Andersson, A., Fanning, J.L., Neville, H.J. (2009). An ERP study of nonword rhyming in 3- to 8-year old monolinguals and 6- to 8-year old bilinguals investigating the effects of age and proficiency. The 2nd Conference of the Swedish Association for Language and Cognition : 2009, June 10–12, Stockholm University, Sweden.
Andersson, A., Fanning, J.L., Neville, H.J. (2009). Monolingual and bilingual 6-8 year old children display N400 responses differentially mediated by proficiency and age of acquisition. NLC 2009 Scientific Program : The Neurobiology of Language Conference, Marriott Downtown Hotel, 540 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, US. 45-46.
Andersson, A., Yamada, Y., Fanning, J., Neville, H.J. (2008). An ERP study of nonword rhyming in 3- to 5-year olds : the effect of age and proficiency. Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting Program 2008 : A supplement of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 287-287.
Andersson, A., Yamada, Y., Pakulak, E., Neville, H.J. (2007). N400 responses mediated by proficiency rather than age of acquisition in second language learners between 6 and 8 years of age. The 1st Conference of the Swedish Association for Language and Cognition : 2007, November 29 – December 1, Lund University, Sweden.
Meyer, M., Baldwin, D.A., Saffran, J.R., Andersson, A. (2007). Adults track statistical regularity in variable human action. APS 19th Annual Convention : Association for Psychological Science.
Andersson, A., Yamada, Y., Pakulak, E., Neville, H.J. (2006). Second language acquisition in 6-to 8-years-olds : relationship between proficiency and N400 responses to semantic anomalies. Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting, CNS 2006.
Andersson, A., Sanders, L.D., Fanning, J., Neville, H.J. (2005). A developmental ERP study of nonword rhyming. Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting, CNS 2005.

Chapter in book (Refereed)

Andersson, A., Fälth, L. (2024). Förskolebarns motivation att lära sig svenska som andraspråk. Mångfaldens Möten: Interkulturalitet, utbildning och lärande. Växjö, Linnaeus University Press. 159-176.
Neville, H.J., Andersson, A., Bagdade, O., Bell, T., Currin, J., et al. (2009). How can musical training improve cognition. The origins of human dialog : Speech and music. Paris, Odile Jacob. 277-290.
Neville, H., Andersson, A., Bagdade, O., Bell, T., Currin, J., et al. (2008). Effects of music training on brain and cognitive development in under-privileged 3- to 5-year-old children : Preliminary results. Learning, arts, and the brain : the Dana Consortium report on arts and cognition. New York, Dana Press. 105-116.

Conference paper (Other academic)

Andersson, A. (2017). Second language acquisition in children and adults : ERP studies of phonological awareness, semantics, and syntax. Tilburg center for Cognition and Communication (TiCC) Colloquium 2017.
Andersson, A., Sayehli, S., Gullberg, M. (2015). Ditt förstaspråks grammatik påverkar hur din hjärna bearbetar dina andraspråk. Grammatikdagen 2015, Lund.
Andersson, A. (2014). What the recording of brainwaves can tell us about language processing. COMPUTE seminar, 20 October 2014.

Chapter in book (Other academic)

Andersson, A., Newman, A. (2023). The roles of age of acquisition, proficiency, and first language on second language processing. Changing Brains : Essays in Honor of Helen J. Neville. Routledge. 57-77.
Andersson, A. (2019). Flerspråkighet : Barnkonventionen och barnens rätt till alla sina språk. Perspektiv på barnkonventionen : Forskning, teori och praktik. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 225-254.
Johansson, V., Andersson, A., Horne, M., Mårtensson, F., Roll, M., et al. (2013). Språk och hjärna. Språket, människan och världen : människans språk 1-2. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 225-241.
Andrén, M., Andersson, A., Håkansson, G., Gullberg, M., Johansson, V., et al. (2013). Att lära sig språk. Språket, människan och världen : Människans språk 1-2. Lund, Studentlitteratur AB. 73-89.

Doctoral thesis, monograph (Other academic)

Andersson, A. (2012). Second language acquisition in 6- to 8-year-old native Spanish-speaking children : ERP studies of phonological awareness, semantics, and syntax. Doctoral Thesis. Oregon, University of Oregon. 268.

Article, book review (Other academic)

Andersson, A. (2014). François Grosjean & Ping Liet al., The Psycholinguistics of Bilingualism : Malden, MA & Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. Pp. v + 248.. Nordic Journal of Linguistics. Cambridge University Press. 37 (1). 120-126.
Status: Published

Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))

Andersson, A., Lindfors, H., Hansson, K. (2020). Developmental language disorder : a language specific disorder or a domain general disorder?. Thrive Nordics: Special Education. (Autumn/Winter).
Status: Published
Andersson, A. (2017). Snabbast eller bäst?. Förskoletidningen. (4). 27-29.
Status: Published

Conference paper (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))

Holmström, K., Andersson, A. (2016). Hur påverkas ordinlärning av språkstörning och flerspråkighet?. ’Lyssna, förstå och lära i tid’! : Barn med språkinlärning på annorlunda villkor - aktuell forskning om kommunikation, prevention och intervention.
Holmström, K., Andersson, A. (2015). Flerspråkighet i relation till språkstörning, inlärning, hjärnans plasticitet, och kognition. Presented at: Kunskapsveckan, CCL, Lund, June 16-17, 2015..