NYSTCE 201 – Educating All Students (EAS) Practice Exam 2025 - Free EAS Practice Questions and Study Guide

Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. When there is too much information in working memory, it can overwhelm an individual's cognitive processes, leading to difficulties in learning new material or solving problems. This is because working memory has a limited capacity, and exceeding this capacity can hinder the ability to process and consolidate information effectively. High cognitive load can result in confusion, making it challenging to retain important details and resulting in a decline in overall performance.

In contrast, excessive repetition may not directly link to the overload of information but instead reflects a different learning strategy. A loss of focus can be a symptom of cognitive overload, but it is not the central issue itself. Enhanced learning is generally associated with optimal cognitive load, where information is presented in a manageable way. Therefore, cognitive load is the most appropriate term to describe the challenges faced when working memory becomes overloaded.