# Promoting Rational Risk Engagement Through Feedback in a Gambling-Analog Learning Environment: A Pilot Study

## TL;DR

This pilot study explores how immediate feedback in a gambling-like simulation can help students make more consistent and rational risk decisions without increasing cognitive effort.

## Contribution

The study introduces a feedback-driven approach to promoting rational risk engagement in educational settings as a preventative measure for gambling-related behaviors.

## Key findings

- Participants receiving feedback showed reduced variability in risk decisions, indicating more consistent engagement.
- The informed group achieved higher accuracy and performance without spending more time on decisions.
- Feedback improved judgment calibration without increasing cognitive burden or suppressing autonomy.

## Abstract

Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue?
Youth exposure to gambling and gambling-like digital environments is increasing, raising concerns about early development of maladaptive risk-taking behaviors.This study addresses gambling prevention by examining how feedback influences decision-making under uncertainty in a controlled, educational setting.

Youth exposure to gambling and gambling-like digital environments is increasing, raising concerns about early development of maladaptive risk-taking behaviors.

This study addresses gambling prevention by examining how feedback influences decision-making under uncertainty in a controlled, educational setting.

Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health?
The findings demonstrate that immediate feedback can promote more rational and consistent risk engagement without increasing cognitive burden or suppressing autonomy.By targeting decision–calibration rather than risk avoidance, the study offers a preventative approach that complements existing treatment-focused gambling interventions.

The findings demonstrate that immediate feedback can promote more rational and consistent risk engagement without increasing cognitive burden or suppressing autonomy.

By targeting decision–calibration rather than risk avoidance, the study offers a preventative approach that complements existing treatment-focused gambling interventions.

Public health implications—What are the key implications or messages for practitioners, policy makers and/or researchers in public health?
Simulation-based, feedback-driven learning environments may serve as scalable tools for youth gambling prevention and risk education.Public health researchers and educators can incorporate decision calibration frameworks to design interventions that address risk perception before harmful gambling behaviors emerge.

Simulation-based, feedback-driven learning environments may serve as scalable tools for youth gambling prevention and risk education.

Public health researchers and educators can incorporate decision calibration frameworks to design interventions that address risk perception before harmful gambling behaviors emerge.

The expansion of legalized gambling and gambling-like digital environments has increased youth exposure to uncertainty, underscoring the need for preventative approaches that promote rational risk decision-making. This pilot study examines whether immediate feedback embedded in a repeated, gambling-analog simulation fosters calibrated participation and improved performance under uncertainty among undergraduate students. Participants from two class sections were assigned by class section to an informed condition with immediate feedback or an uninformed condition without feedback. Across repeated rounds, participants made opt-in or opt-out decisions and completed probability-based tasks. Participants receiving feedback exhibited reduced variability in participation decisions, reflecting more consistent engagement with risk. The informed group also achieved higher accuracy and overall performance on tasks they chose to attempt. These improvements occurred without increases in decision or problem-solving time, suggesting enhanced judgment calibration rather than greater deliberation effort. As a pilot investigation, the findings provide preliminary evidence that feedback-driven simulations may support rational risk engagement in educational settings and warrant further study with larger samples and longitudinal designs.