Hi John;
Yes, mental overload is certainly an issue - the sim sessions usually reserved a few of those moments for everyone and the Airbus was good at it...!
In fact I was thinking of the examination of the overall, known picture to emphasize that situational awareness can be derived from the PFD even as one may attempt to make the argument about not "seeing the other stick" prevented comprehension, etc. But I agree here, that mental overload quickly became an issue and focus narrowed, (I doubt if anyone heard the stall warning.)
Regarding empathy with these guys, thank you for the reminder - it is indeed easy to type words on a keyboard...