Very simply, a 

VARIABLE is a measurable characteristic that varies. It may change

from group to group, person to person, or even within one person over time. There
are six common variable types:

DEPENDENT VARIABLES

. . . show the effect of manipulating or introducing the independent

variables. For example, if the independent variable is the use or non-use of a
new language teaching procedure, then the dependent variable might be
-
students' scores on a test of the content taught using that procedure. In other
words, the variation in the dependent variable depends on the variation in
the independent variable.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLES

. . . are those that the researcher has control over. This "control" may involve
manipulating existing variables (e.g., modifying existing methods of
instruction) or introducing new variables (e.g., adopting a totally new
method for some sections of a class) in the research setting. Whatever the
case may be, the researcher expects that the independent variable(s) will
have some effect on (or relationship with) the dependent variables.

INTERVENING VARIABLES

. . . refer to abstract processes that are not directly observable but that link
the independent and dependent variables. In language learning and teaching,
they are usually inside the subjects' heads, including various language
learning processes which the researcher cannot observe. For example, if the
use of a particular teaching technique is the independent variable and
mastery of the objectives is the dependent variable, then the language
learning processes used by the subjects are the intervening variables.

MODERATOR VARIABLES

- . . . affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variables

by modifying the effect of the intervening variable(s). Unlike extraneous
variables, moderator variables are measured and taken into consideration.
Typical moderator variables in TESL and language acquisition research
(when they are not the major focus of the study) include the sex, age,
 culture, or language proficiency of the subjects.

CONTROL VARIABLES

Language learning and teaching are very complex processes. It is not

possible to consider every variable in a single study. Therefore, the variables
that are not measured in a particular study must be held constant,
neutralized/balanced, or eliminated, so they will not have a biasing effect on
the other variables. Variables that have been controlled in this way are
called control variables.

EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES

. . . are those factors in the research environment which may have an effect
on the dependent variable(s) but which are not controlled. Extraneous
variables are dangerous. They may damage a study's validity, making it
impossible to know whether the effects were caused by the independent and
moderator variables or some extraneous factor. If they cannot be controlled,
extraneous variables must at least be taken into consideration when
interpreting results
In scientific research, scientists, technicians and researchers utilize a variety of
methods and variables when conducting their experiments. In simple terms, a variable
represents a measurable attribute that changes or varies across the experiment
whether comparing results between multiple groups, multiple people or even when
using a single person in an experiment conducted over time. In all, there are six
common variable types.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Variables represents the measurable traits that can change over the course of a
scientific experiment. In all there are six basic variable types: dependent, independent,
intervening, moderator, controlled and extraneous variables.

Independent and Dependent Variables

In general, experiments purposefully change one variable, which is the independent
variable. But a variable that changes in direct response to the independent variable is
the dependent variable. Say there’s an experiment to test whether changing the
position of an ice cube affects its ability to melt. The change in an ice cube's position
represents the independent variable. The result of whether the ice cube melts or not is
the dependent variable.

Intervening and Moderator Variables

Intervening variables link the independent and dependent variables, but as abstract
processes, they are not directly observable during the experiment. For example, if
studying the use of a specific teaching technique for its effectiveness, the technique
represents the independent variable, while the completion of the technique's
objectives by the study participants represents the dependent variable, while the
actual processes used internally by the students to learn the subject matter represents
the intervening variables.

By modifying the effect of the intervening variables -- the unseen processes --

moderator variables influence the relationship between the independent and
dependent variables. Researchers measure moderator variables and take them into
consideration during the experiment.

Constant or Controllable Variable

Sometimes certain characteristics of the objects under scrutiny are deliberately left
unchanged. These are known as constant or controlled variables. In the ice cube
experiment, one constant or controllable variable could be the size and shape of the
cube. By keeping the ice cubes' sizes and shapes the same, it's easier to measure the
differences between the cubes as they melt after shifting their positions, as they all
started out as the same size.

Extraneous Variables
A well-designed experiment eliminates as many unmeasured extraneous variables as
possible. This makes it easier to observe the relationship between the independent
and dependent variables. These extraneous variables, also known as unforeseen
factors, can affect the interpretation of experimental results. Lurking variables, as a
subset of extraneous variables represent the unforeseen factors in the experiment.

Another type of lurking variable includes the confounding variable, which can render
the results of the experiment useless or invalid. Sometimes a confounding variable
could be a variable not previously considered. Not being aware of the confounding
variable’s influence skews the experimental results. For example, say the surface
chosen to conduct the ice-cube experiment was on a salted road, but the
experimenters did not realize the salt was there and sprinkled unevenly, causing some
ice cubes to melt faster. Because the salt affected the experiment's results, it's both a
lurking variable and a confounding variable.