The problem is that all airlines train "approach to stalls" and not stall and spin recovery. When you recover from an approach to stall you add power and maintain pitch or in some aircraft increase pitch. After doing this over and over again in the sim, I can see why one would pull up rather than nose over in an actual stall. If you pulled back 50 times in the sim when you got the shaker, you'll pull back when you get the shaker in the airplane.
Next time you have a PC ask the instructor to let you recover from an actual stall at 1500 feet and then another one at FL370. If you have never done it, you will shortly find out that you don't want to see it for the first time after a long day in the ice going into BUF.