University of Gothenburg
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Sara Landström

Professor

Department of Psychology - Applied Psychology
Telephone
+46 31-786 42 91
Mail
sara.landstrom@psy.gu.se
Visiting address
Haraldsgatan 1
41314 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 500
40530 Göteborg

About Sara Landström

Biography

Teaching

I mainly teach legal and investigative psychology and I am course leader for Legal and Investigative Psychology (30 credits), Legal and investigative psychology in practice (15 credits),  and Interview with children and teenagers (15hp). I also teach at the doctoral program and supervise students at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.

Research interests

My research interest is forensic psychology in general, with a special focus on reliability and credibility assessments, victim blaming, child sexual abuse cases, and interview and interrogation methods. In 2021, I was awarded the Birger Karlsson science prize by the Kungl. Vetenskaps- och Vitterhets-Samhället i Göteborg (KVVS) for my research on children's testimonies and investigative interviews of children. In 2025, I was awarded the SNS Prize on the grounds that my research is of high scientific quality and has made an impact on the judicial system.

Ongoing research projects

Pictures as communication support in child forensic interviews

The project is financed by The Swedish Crime Victim Authority (Brottsoffermyndigheten) and seeks to explore whether using pictures as communication support could be beneficial in child forensic interviews with child victims and witnesses who have limited verbal abilities. The project includes studies on children’s understanding of pictures, the effects of using pictures in child interviews on the length and accuracy of children’s reports, and the perspectives of legal actors on using pictures in child forensic interviews. Involved researchers are Mikaela Magnusson and PhD student Nina Pallasch. 

Where are the boys?

The project is financed by The Swedish Crime Victim Authority (Brottsoffermyndigheten) and aims to investigate possible differences in how child sexual abuse (CSA) cases are handled by the legal system depending on the child's gender since previous research has found that boys may be disadvantaged during the legal process. To explore possible gender differences, we will examine preliminary investigations and court verdicts, including boys and girls, respectively, as CSA victims. Principal investigator is Emelie Ernberg, and PhD student in the project is Charlotte Löfgren.

Multidisciplinary Program on Oral Testimony (MPORT)

The Multidisciplinary Program on Oral Testimony (MPORT) is an international and interdisciplinary collaboration between law, criminology and psychology. The aim of the research environment is to explore possible solutions to key challenges of oral evidence in legal contexts. Together with Emelie Ernberg, I am responsible for one of three research tracks within the framework of this project focused on Cultural and Linguistic Challenges. Involved in the project are also researchers Lorraine Hope, Görel Granström and PhD student Louise Jansson.

A helping paw?

The project is financed by The Swedish Crime Victim Authority (Brottsoffermyndigheten) and examines the role of police dogs and their potential contribution to strengthening support for children and child interviewers during child interviews. The project comprises four sub-studies: an archival study of dog-assisted child forensic interviews in police investigations of crimes against children; a randomised controlled experiment testing the effects of dog-assisted interventions; focus groups with legal practitioners on the possible use of dogs during child forensic interviews; and interviews with judges and an experimental survey of lay judges to examine whether the presence of dogs affects legal assessments of children's statements. Principal investigators are Mikaela Magnusson and Emelie Ernberg and PhD student in the project is Nina Pallasch.