A participant in a cognitive psychology study is given 50 words to remember

and later asked to recall as many as he can of them. This participant recalls 17.
What is the (a) variable, (b) possible values, and (c) score?

I just don't understand what it all means. I've read the text a bunch of times and I'm still confused.

In the given scenario, there is a participant in a cognitive psychology study who is given 50 words to remember. Later on, the participant is asked to recall as many of those words as possible. The participant was able to recall 17 words. Let's break down the different parts of this scenario:

(a) Variable: A variable is a factor that can vary or have different values. In this case, the variable is the number of words recalled by the participant.

(b) Possible values: The possible values of the variable are the different outcomes or results that the variable can have. In this case, the possible values are the different numbers of words that the participant can recall - in other words, any whole number from 0 up to 50.

(c) Score: In this context, the term "score" is referring to the specific outcome or value of the variable. It represents the number of words actually recalled by the participant. In this case, the score is 17, which means the participant was able to recall 17 out of the 50 words given.

So, to summarize:
(a) Variable: Number of words recalled
(b) Possible values: Any whole number from 0 to 50
(c) Score: 17 (the specific outcome or value of the variable in this particular instance)

Understanding these terms will help you interpret and analyze data in various psychology studies or experiments.