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In a subsequent experiment Suomi studied the interaction of temperament and early attachment experience. He divided the high and low reactives into two groups that were raised by two different types of mothers. The first were ordinary, competent mothers, and the second were mothers who were particularly nurturant. Being an unusually nurturant mother was defined by a willingness to wean the monkey baby slowly, rather than abruptly batting the infant off her breast as is typical of the species; and, in addition, the nurturant mothers remained accessible to their babies as they began to experiment with separating from her and exploring the environment on their own. Half of each group of high and low reactives were raised by each of these styles of mothering.
As they grew older, the monkeys were placed in a larger single group wherein adolescent Bonnet monkeys normally form dominance hierarchies. Status in the dominance hierarchy is determined by complex social skills and is a critical measure of adaptive competence in primates. In the group was also placed a pair of "foster grandparents," older monkeys whose presence served to keep control over levels of aggression. To Suomi's considerable surprise, the shy, high reactive monkeys raised by the nurturant mothers were the only monkeys to touch base with the "foster grandparents" (particularly the female), and it was these same monkeys who subsequently ended up and remained at the top of the hierarchy. The shy, high reactive ones raised by the ordinary mothers did not make use of the older parents and ended up at the bottom of the hierarchy. The low reactive or bold monkeys all ended up in the middle of the hierarchy, their status appearing to be relatively unaffected by parenting style.