{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T15:53:33Z","timestamp":1772466813177,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]],"date-time":"2026-02-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772236800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health","award":["U54MD013376"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["U54MD013376"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>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.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23030299","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T14:55:01Z","timestamp":1772463301000},"page":"299","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Promoting Rational Risk Engagement Through Feedback in a Gambling-Analog Learning Environment: A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Yu","family":"Cong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ziping","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Maryland General Assembly (2025, August 01). House Bill 48: eSports Act; Annapolis, MD, USA, 2019, Available online: https:\/\/mgaleg.maryland.gov\/mgawebsite\/Legislation\/Details\/HB0048?ys=2019RS."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Maryland General Assembly (2025, August 01). House Bill 1319: Internet Gaming; Annapolis, MD, USA, 2024, Available online: https:\/\/mgaleg.maryland.gov\/mgawebsite\/Legislation\/Details\/HB1319?ys=2024RS."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"CBS News (2025, August 01). Maryland Lawmakers Renew Push to Legalize Internet Gambling 2025. Available online: https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/baltimore\/news\/online-gambling-maryland-legislation-hb1319\/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h."},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"529","article-title":"Prevention of youth gambling problems: Evidence-based strategies","volume":"35","author":"Derevensky","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Gambl. Stud."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"283","DOI":"10.1080\/09687630701838026","article-title":"Youth gambling advertising: A review of the lessons learned from tobacco control","volume":"16","author":"Friend","year":"2009","journal-title":"Drugs Educ. Prev. Policy"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"568","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2012.03.053","article-title":"Decision making under ambiguity but not under risk is related to problem gambling severity","volume":"200","author":"Brevers","year":"2012","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"840","DOI":"10.1556\/2006.2023.00041","article-title":"Confidence and risky decision-making in gambling disorder","volume":"12","author":"Hoven","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Behav. Addict."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"263","DOI":"10.2307\/1914185","article-title":"Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk","volume":"47","author":"Kahneman","year":"1979","journal-title":"Econometrica"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00122574","article-title":"Advances in prospect theory: Cumulative representation of uncertainty","volume":"5","author":"Tversky","year":"1992","journal-title":"J. Risk Uncertain."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"376","DOI":"10.3109\/16066359.2012.731116","article-title":"Gambling careers: A longitudinal, qualitative study of gambling behaviour","volume":"21","author":"Reith","year":"2013","journal-title":"Addict. Res. Theory"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"481","DOI":"10.1007\/s10899-005-5559-1","article-title":"The role of perceived control and overconfidence in pathological gambling","volume":"21","author":"Goodie","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Gambl. Stud."},{"key":"ref_12","first-page":"5","article-title":"Disordered gambling: The evolving concept of behavioral addiction","volume":"1394","author":"Clark","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"204","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbtep.2016.08.012","article-title":"Decision making, cognitive distortions and emotional distress: A comparison between pathological gamblers and healthy controls","volume":"54","author":"Ciccarelli","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kr\u00e9besz, R., \u00d6tv\u00f6s, D.K., and Fekete, Z. (2023). Non-problem gamblers show the same cognitive distortions while playing slot machines as problem gamblers, with no loss of control and reduced reality control, though\u2013An experimental study on gambling. Front. Psychol., 14.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2023.1175621"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/j.invent.2017.03.003","article-title":"Experiences of Playscan: Interviews with users of a responsible gambling tool","volume":"8","author":"Hesser","year":"2017","journal-title":"Internet Interv."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1080\/16066359.2018.1474206","article-title":"Dark nudges in gambling","volume":"27","author":"Newall","year":"2019","journal-title":"Addict. Res. Theory"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e437","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(21)00279-6","article-title":"Impact of the \u201cwhen the fun stops, stop\u201d gambling message on online gambling behaviour: A randomised experimental study","volume":"7","author":"Newall","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Public Health"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"487","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1360-0443.2002.00015.x","article-title":"A pathways model of problem and pathological gambling","volume":"97","author":"Blaszczynski","year":"2002","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"298","DOI":"10.1037\/a0026422","article-title":"Cognitive distortions as a component and treatment focus of pathological gambling: A review","volume":"26","author":"Fortune","year":"2012","journal-title":"Psychol. Addict. Behav."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.2307\/258646","article-title":"Reconceptualizing the determinants of risk behavior","volume":"17","author":"Sitkin","year":"1992","journal-title":"Acad. Manag. Rev."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"264","DOI":"10.1016\/j.concog.2013.01.004","article-title":"The development of metacognitive ability in adolescence","volume":"22","author":"Weil","year":"2013","journal-title":"Conscious. Cogn."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"48","DOI":"10.1037\/a0038088","article-title":"A meta-analysis on age differences in risky decision making: Adolescents versus children and adults","volume":"141","author":"Defoe","year":"2015","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/0273-2297(92)90002-J","article-title":"Risk taking in adolescence: A decision-making perspective","volume":"12","author":"Furby","year":"1992","journal-title":"Dev. Rev."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1529-1006.2006.00026.x","article-title":"Risk and rationality in adolescent decision making: Implications for theory, practice, and policy","volume":"7","author":"Reyna","year":"2006","journal-title":"Psychol. Sci. Public Interest."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"625","DOI":"10.1037\/0012-1649.41.4.625","article-title":"Peer influence on risk taking, risk preference, and risky decision making in adolescence and adulthood","volume":"41","author":"Gardner","year":"2005","journal-title":"Dev. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1037\/0893-164X.20.1.62","article-title":"Does learning about the mathematics of gambling change gambling behavior?","volume":"20","author":"Williams","year":"2006","journal-title":"Psychol. Addict. Behav."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.1207\/s15324796abm2702_7","article-title":"Risk perceptions and their relation to risk behavior","volume":"27","author":"Brewer","year":"2004","journal-title":"Ann. Behav. Med."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.1037\/0278-6133.26.2.136","article-title":"Meta-analysis of the relationship between risk perception and health behavior","volume":"26","author":"Brewer","year":"2007","journal-title":"Health Psychol."},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"59","article-title":"Gambling as a context for teaching probability: A teaching experiment with a gambling simulation","volume":"46","author":"Parolini","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int. J. Math. Educ. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_30","first-page":"102653","article-title":"Can experiential learning reduce behavioral biases? Experimental evidence from financial education","volume":"151","author":"Abel","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Dev. Econ."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1080\/14459795.2016.1147592","article-title":"Cognitive distortions predict future gambling involvement","volume":"16","author":"Yakovenko","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. Gambl. Stud."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/3\/299\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T14:56:01Z","timestamp":1772463361000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/3\/299"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]]},"references-count":31,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph23030299"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph23030299","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,28]]}}}