Does Outcome Utility Bias the Mental Simulations of Risky Events?

Does the utility of an outcome influence people's assessment of risk and uncertainty? Prominent theories propose that people rely on mental simulation to evaluate probabilities and risky events, yet prior empirical findings is mixed as to whether and how utility biases this process. Across four experiments (total N=206, with Experiment 4 pre-registered), we tested this question using a random generation paradigm, in which participants mentally simulated gamble outcomes and said them out loud. Then we compared these responses with probability judgments and predictions. While we identified indiv