It appears some pilots instinctively do the exact opposite! They start to climb. Why is that?
Seems to be an obsession of all people operating powered aircraft. When converting from glider to SEP I was shouted at by my flight instructor when trying to recover a stall by releasing the stick and let the aircraft pick up speed again, just like I always did with gliders. The correct procedure was to hang on to the stick (or yoke), apply full power and gently release the stick pressure while watching the v/s and altitude to make sure I do not sink. Found that very disturbing, but it was in fact what the inspector wanted to see during my practical exam and it is exactly what is written in the official training requirements. For pilots of powered aircraft altitude always seems to be the most valuable thing you can have. What I can understand to be priority in controlled and crowded airspace (just to avoid a near miss with somebody at lower altitude) is the worst habit you can have if things go really wrong.
If I understood correctly, FAA removed the altitude aspect from the flight training requirements for stall recovery a few years ago, most others still have it.