What is it called when information available to a person exceeds their processing capacity?

The correct answer is information overload, which refers to a situation where an individual is exposed to more information than they can effectively process. When the amount of information available exceeds a person's capacity to analyze or make sense of it, it can lead to confusion, difficulty in decision-making, and a decrease in overall understanding. This phenomenon is particularly relevant in educational settings, where instructors need to be mindful of how much information they present to learners at once. Effective teaching techniques often involve breaking down complex information into manageable pieces to avoid overwhelming students.

The other terms relate to specific issues in communication and understanding but do not specifically describe the situation of being overwhelmed by information inputs. Communication breakdown pertains to failure in exchanging information effectively, message distortion deals with misinterpretation of content, and semantic confusion refers to misunderstanding due to language or terminology differences. None of these accurately capture the essence of dealing with excessive information beyond processing capacity like information overload does.