Default/Integrated role in SharePoint 2007

Default/Integrated role in SharePoint 2007:

A role consists of two parts:

1. Role definition
2. Role assignment.

The role definition, or permission level, is the list of rights associated with the role. A right is a uniquely controllable action within a SharePoint Web site. For example, a user with the Read role can browse pages in the Web site and view items in lists. Unlike in Windows SharePoint Services 2.0, in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 user permissions are never managed directly using rights. All user and group permissions are managed through roles. A role definition is a collection of rights bound to a specific object. Role definitions are scoped to the Web site (for example, Full Control, Read, Contribute, Design, or Limited Access) and mean the same thing everywhere within the Web site, but their meanings can differ between sites within the same site collection. Role definitions can also be inherited from the parent Web site, just as permissions.

The role assignment is the relationship among the role definition, the users and groups, and the scope (for example, one user may be a reader on list one, while another user is a reader on list two). The relationship expressed through the role assignment is the key to making Windows SharePoint Services security management role-based. All permissions are managed through roles; you never assign rights directly to a user, but only meaningful collections of rights (role definitions) that are well defined and consistent. You manage unique permissions by adding or removing users and groups to or from role definitions through role assignments.

The default/integrated role in SharePoint 2007:
1. Full Control
2. Read
3. Contribute
4. Design
5. Limited Access

Reference: MSDN