Glossary of terms
impermeability
A condition that prevails when it is perceived to be possible to move from one particular group into another.
individualism
The attempt to explain how people behave purely by reference to factors internal to the individual (e.g., personality).
informed consent
The ethical principle that research participants should be told enough about a piece of research to be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to participate in it.
ingroup
A group that a person perceives themselves to be a member of in a particular context (i.e., a group that defines a person's social identity - "us").
interactionism
The attempt to explain how people behave with reference both to factors internal to the individual (e.g., personality) and to the situation in which they find themselves. Mechanical interactionism argues that behaviour is simply the product of these two elements. Dynamic interactionism argues that individual and situation have the capacity to transform each other.
intergroup relations
Relationships between people that are determined by their group memberships and the social identities associated with those group memberships.
interpersonal relations
Relationships between people that are determined by their individual characteristics.
leadership
The process whereby one or more members of a group influence other group members in a way that contributes to the definition and achievement of group goals.
legitimacy
The extent to which relations and status differences between groups are perceived to be justified or not.
matching
The process of attempting to remove systematic differences between experimental groups on variables that are not manipulated but might nonetheless contribute to differences on outcome measures.
