The mechanical and elastocaloric properties of polycrystalline barium titanate and barium titanate metal matrix composites have been investigated. This work incorporates sample fabrication and quality analysis, mechanical property equipment setup and measurement, development of a novel differential thermocouple method for elastocaloric measurement, and results of both mechanical and elastocaloric responses. From the mechanical measurements in barium titanate, it is shown that strain and modulus near the paraelastic to ferroelastic phase transformation temperature changes significantly, and this phenomenon and phase transformation temperature are stress and frequency dependent. While previous reports of metal matrix composites incorporating barium titanate particles report anomalous mechanical behaviour associated with this phase transformation, such behaviour could not be measured here. Mechanical experiments in metal matrix composites did not show any significant response variation over the temperature range measured. In order to further investigate the stress-induced paraelastic to ferroelastic phase transformation in barium titanate and its potential impact on anomalous mechanical properties in metal matrix composites, an elastocaloric measurement system was developed. Barium titanate ceramics were shown to have a maximum temperature change of 0.85 °C under 200 MPa of uniaxial stress. The observed caloric effect in the ceramic occurred over a broadened temperature range and is enhanced with a higher stress application. An observed caloric effect in the metal matrix composite is less apparent, with 0.06 °C change in Zn-10 Vol.% BaTiO3 under 100 MPa. This result can be explained by the complex mechanical state of two particles under variable temperature and. The compressive stress from the zinc matrix could have effects on the loading and unloading process. Hence, the temperature change over the maximal loading and completion of unloading are different. This result, however, confirms the possibility that phase change inclusions in metal matrix composites may be used to generate anomalous mechanical properties in such materials.