Stimulus, Response. No Stimulus, no Response. That is the role time plays in the emotion called fear.
"(like it did the time another formation interleaved the formation I was in at 90 degrees to our heading)."
What caused Bonin's "Response"?
I have postulated that his initial Pitch up was a result of the aircraft's nose down attitude...why would that create (result from) fear? To me, it was the correct response. Similarly, as he struggled (and mastered) the Direct Roll, he likely noticed it came about in conjunction with his back stick? You admit the docility he may have experienced in Roll might be due to his conclusion that Pitch Up made the a/c more controllable?
Now. We know that the first time the crew demonstrated a knowledge of loss of speeds and the Law degrade was at 02:10:22. Seventeen seconds AFTER the DFDR posted the data.
It is not logical to assume that because we have the DFDR, and a timing of the changes, that the crew did also.
In fact, it is preposterous. Why? Because we have a pilot who is struggling, and convinced that Pitch Up is necessary to maintain controlled flight? Do we even know if he is aware that the aircraft is in Roll Direct? The evidence shows that he probably does NOT recognize Roll Direct, his first Roll input was made to correct for turbulence!! Why is he expected to be able to differentiate turbulence from Roll Direct?
At this point, my working hypothesis would be "Split Mode, Roll Direct, disguised as turbulence". Throw in a surmised solution of Nose Up controls flight path, and for seventeen seconds, he has done the wrong things; we know it, he couldn't have?