Originally Posted by
Lonewolf_50
This opens the question: was the PF using FD as a reference, or a primary reference for his instrument scan, even though it was not being reliably sourced by the data it is usually fed?
I found an article which expands on this theory that the PF was following the Flight Director and that this might explain his pitch-up inputs.
Final AF447 Report Suggests Pilot Slavishly Followed Flight Director Pitch-Up Commands | Aviation International News
After the autopilot and autothrottle disengaged, as the flight control law switched from normal to alternate, the flight director’s crossbars disappeared. But they then reappeared several times. Every time they were visible, they prompted pitch-up inputs by the PF, investigators determined.