Narrow reading of procedures
Like any turbulance,you need to "ride it out" in wake turbulance and steady gentle inputs are the norm.
Quite often low experince pilots will quote "procedures"chapter and verse...without a clear idea as to where and how to apply them.
Another factor is that this event occured just after 911...maybe in this context wanting to "stay in control come what may" might have been a possible mind set.
Pure conjecture.....but just a thought about all the possible factors which could have played a role.