Gamified Financial Education, ADHD, and Investor Judgments
Release time：26 November 2025
Nov
28
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Time & Date
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10:30 am
-
12:00 pm,
November
28,
2025
(Friday)
|
|
Venue
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Room 103, Conference Complex Ⅱ
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| TOPIC | Gamified Financial Education, ADHD, and Investor Judgments |
| TIME&DATE | 10:30 am - 12:00 am, November 28, 2025 (Friday) |
| Venue | Room 103, Conference Complex Ⅱ |
| Speaker |
Stephanie Grant University of Washington |
| Abstract | A wave of new investors has entered financial markets in recent years, yet many lack the financial knowledge needed to make informed investment decisions, leaving them vulnerable to costly mistakes. While regulators and trading platforms have increasingly promoted financial education materials, their effectiveness remains unclear, particularly for neurodiverse populations. We examine whether incorporating gamification into financial education—specifically through gamified feedback—improves knowledge acquisition and investment decision-making for individuals with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Results show that gamification improves knowledge acquisition for both groups. We then examine investment decision-making in a setting where investing yields higher expected returns. For individuals without ADHD, increased financial knowledge from gamified education increases investment relative to non-gamified education. In contrast, for individuals with ADHD, increased financial knowledge from gamified education reduces investment relative to non-gamified education. Results from a supplemental experiment provide theory-consistent evidence and also offer initial suggestions for practical remedies to improve decision-making. Our study has important implications for how the SEC, FINRA, and trading platforms design investor education to support the growing population of new and diverse retail investors. |
| Biography | Stephanie Grant is an Associate Professor of Accounting and the Deloitte & Touche Endowed Professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research primarily uses experimental methods to examine how emerging technologies-such as generative AI, social media, mobile devices, and digital engagement practices—affect retail investors’ decision-making. She has published in leading journals such as the Journal of Accounting Research, Management Science, Contemporary Accounting Research, and Accounting, Organizations and Society. She is currently serving as an editor at Accounting Horizons and on the editorial boards of other leading journals. She teaches financial accounting and experimental accounting research at UW. |
