Media releases

• Brock experts available to comment on Trump and the Republican convention

  Tuesday, July 26, 2016 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: R00154 – 19 July 2016

  With the Republican National Convention underway, Brock University political scientist Stefan Dolgert says Trump’s campaign plays on the fear and anger of his supporters.

  The Trump campaign, and specifically the 2016 RNC, appears to be modeled on Richard Nixon’s convention in 1968, and is focused on stoking the fears and resentments of white Americans.
   
  ‘Make America Safe Again’ is the theme, and liberal Democrats, social justice activists, Mexican immigrants, and Muslims are the enemy.
   
  But, Dolgert points out American voters in 2016 are far more diverse than in 1968.
   
  “Unless Trump can find another enemy to rally some non-white voters to his cause, it is doubtful this polarization will lead him to victory," he says.
   
  Dolgert says modern American political conventions are little more than publicity events designed to shape the candidate’s public image, rather than actual venues of democratic deliberation.
   
  The Political Science assistant professor says conventions generally produce only a modest bump in the polls for their candidate and it’ not clear whether they actually influence the outcome of the eventual election.
   
  “The first day of the RNC was an absolute disaster,” Dolgert says. “A series of missteps, topped by Melania Trump’s plagiarism of Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech, signals to all but the most committed that this campaign is fundamentally inept."
   
  Political Science associate professor Paul Hamilton says the RNC is an important milestone in Trump’s campaign as it marks his pivot from a primary campaign where he appealed to the Republican electorate to a general campaign.
   
  “His primary tasks are to articulate a contrasting policy agenda to that of the Democrats and unite a fractured party,” he says.
   
  Having fended off a procedural challenge to his nomination Monday, Trump must now begin a campaign against an experienced and well-funded Democratic party.
   
  “The questions is: Can Trump find support outside his core white, middle-aged constituency?” Hamilton says.

  Both Stefan Dolgert and Paul Hamilton are available for interviews.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock receives $1.43 million for research on adolescent risk-taking behaviours

  Tuesday, July 26, 2016 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: R00153 – 19 July 2016

  A research team from Brock University has been awarded a $1.43-million grant for cutting-edge research into the risk-taking decisions of adolescents.

  The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding stretches over five years for a project to study how two brain systems — one that increases motivation to seek rewards, and another that controls impulses — develop in adolescents.

  While many parents of teenagers ask ‘What were you thinking?’ when confronting their child’s risky behaviour, the research aims to answer the question ‘How were you thinking?’ It looks to examine what happens in the brain of an adolescent when they’re tempted to do something that might endanger their health, particularly in moments of intense excitement with their friends.

  The prevailing theory is that the impulse control part of the brain develops at a slower rate than the reward-seeking part.

  “This theory suggests why adolescents sometimes do things that are risky for their health,” says Teena Willoughby, co-director of Brock University’s Centre for Lifespan Development and research team leader.

  “But there hasn’t been a lot of research about how that theory directly translates into adolescents’ health behaviours. That’s where we come in: we’re going to look at the interaction between brain development and health-risk behaviours.”

  The multi-disciplinary team of researchers will be pooling their expertise to examine how brain activity, genetics, endocrine status, physical fitness, personality and environmental factors interact to influence behaviours that pose health risks.

  These behaviours include not only the obvious ones like substance abuse, smoking, drinking and risky sexual activity, but even physical inactivity and poor nutrition.

  What’s unique about this study, says Willoughby, is that the researchers plan on recruiting 600 boys and girls ages eight to 13, who will be monitored over a five-year period.

  The children and adolescents will fill out annual self-report surveys and will engage in various lab tasks.

  This will enable researchers to assess whether there is support for the prevailing brain development theory.

  Another intriguing question that the research aims to address is: Do brain changes lead to risk behaviours, or can behaviour such as being involved in sports or clubs enhance the brain’s development of impulse control?

  Willoughby and her team will be working closely with 10 local, national and international partners, including: the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the Mental Health Commission of Canada; the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse; and Niagara Region Public Health, among others.

  “This is outstanding because it recognizes both the high quality and impact of our research in adolescent development,” says Joffre Mercier, Associate Vice-President Research, Natural and Health Sciences. “We’re very proud of our researchers whose work is well recognized and competitive at the national and international levels.”

  The CIHR is Canada’s federal funding agency for health research. Composed of 13 institutes, the agency collaborates with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health-care system.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
  * Cathy Majtenyi, research communications/media relations specialist, cmajtenyi@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5789 or 905-321-0566

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970
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  Categories: Media releases