Media releases

• Brock expert explains how to wow with wine this holiday season

  Wednesday, December 21, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 21 December 2022 – R0138

  In search of the perfect wine gift this holiday season?

  Whether the bottle features a celebrity name, won a gold medal or received a rave review can all impact how a gift is perceived by its recipient.

  Brock University Professor of Marketing and Consumer Psychology Antonia Mantonakis has a few tips to help ensure gifts come with the ‘wow’ factor.

  Mantonakis researches how people choose, buy and consume wine.

  When purchasing for someone new to wine, she recommends looking for an award-winning bottle.

  “An enthusiast looking to learn more about wine is more impressed by any and all awards or medals compared to someone with high wine knowledge,” says Mantonakis.

  She also suggests looking for a bottle endorsed by a celebrity athlete.

  “In our research, we found that consumers liked the taste of a new wine better, reported a higher willingness to buy it, and a higher willingness to pay for it, if the celebrity athlete’s sport was considered a moderate match to the product category of wine,” says Mantonakis. “Too much of a match to the product category of wine, for example a celebrity golfer, was considered too predictable, whereas too little of a match, for example a celebrity wrestler, was perceived to be too strange. With a moderate match, for example an Olympic speed skater, consumers were intrigued and thought about the wine more.”

  For anyone purchasing for an avid wine consumer, she suggests learning if they have a preferred wine critic. According to her research, who the reviewer is impacts consumers’ openness to trying a new wine.

  “If a consumer likes a certain wine critic, they will always go with that recommendation, meaning a bottle recommended by your recipient’s favourite critic is a safe bet,” says Mantonakis. “On the opposite end of the spectrum, if the consumer does not like a certain wine critic, it can dissuade them from trying that wine.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock PhD student examining vulnerable person registries

  Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 20 December 2022 – R0137

  Lisa Whittingham (BA ’07, MA ’17) wants to know how to create better outcomes when police encounter people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

  The PhD student in Child and Youth Studies (CHYS) says that when we read headlines about a vulnerable person being injured by a police officer, it’s important to understand all of the reasons why it happened.

  “We’re looking at this one horrible moment, but a lot of things happened to get us to that moment,” she says. “There are so many different layers shaping how and when these interactions happen, and social variables may be ignored if we stay too focused on that single moment rather than looking at the complexities that led to it.”

  Whittingham is researching autism registries and vulnerable person registries, which have been implemented by various police services in Ontario over the past decade. But there is no standard or training package for using a registry.

  “The registries are promoted as an opportunity to enhance the safety of people with autism or other vulnerable people, like those with Alzheimer’s, in the community, so I think it’s really important to think through and try to understand exactly what is happening with them,” she says.

  CHYS Professor and Director of Brock’s Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice program Voula Marinos is Whittingham’s supervisor. She says that Whittingham’s multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach will support research, policy and practice.

  “There have been some high-profile and tragic cases very recently in the media about cases of persons with autism being misidentified by police and responded to in harmful ways, so we are at a tipping point, I would say,” says Marinos. “Lisa’s research will be valuable to gain more insight into the complexities of autistic-police interactions.”

  To complete her dissertation, Whittingham will look at if and how problems are conceptualized and solved by vulnerable persons registries, how a registry may influence the decision-making of police officers and how other stakeholders, including people with autism and caregivers, respond to the registries.

  “We don’t know what a lot of key players think,” says Whittingham. “The voices of people with disabilities are so important, and it’s also important to create space for caregivers, many of whom have advocated for the registries because they fear for their children. We want to ensure that the registries are useful for police, respect the concerns of caregivers and respect the rights of the person who is going to be registered, especially if that person can’t consent.”

  Whittingham herself spent several years working as a clinician and behavioural therapist with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities before beginning her current degree. She says that over time, she noticed discrepancies when individuals she treated encountered police and moved through the justice system.

  “Some police officers were comfortable using informal diversion and trying to respond to situations differently, especially if there was a behaviour support plan and behaviour therapist in place — they would agree to try that route rather than the justice system,” says Whittingham. “Whereas other officers didn’t seem to have that willingness and would proceed with charges against the person, possibly in the hopes that the justice process would result in changes in behaviour.”

  Now Whittingham is driven to “tease apart” the complexities of the registries, which have not been studied in this way, because there are so many factors to consider, including systemic challenges for individuals with disabilities like long wait lists for services and housing or limited employment opportunities.

  “It’s really important to understand how these conditions can contribute to why a vulnerable person might come to the attention of police,” she says.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases