The three primary goals of behavior analysis as a science are description prediction and control Description involves observing and accurately describing behavior including its characteristics parameters and the circumstances under which it occurs without attempting to explain why it happens This forms the foundation for all further scientific inquiry Prediction refers to the ability to forecast the probability that a specific event will occur given the presence of other events In behavior analysis this means identifying correlations between events allowing us to predict when a behavior is likely to occur under certain conditions Control is the highest level of scientific understanding where functional relations between behavior and environmental variables are demonstrated This involves manipulating the independent variable environmental event to reliably produce a change in the dependent variable behavior thereby achieving experimental control over the behavior The other options represent different though related concepts Determinism parsimony and empiricism are attitudes or philosophical assumptions of science Prediction verification and replication are elements of scientific inquiry and experimental design particularly in singlesubject research but not the overarching goals of the entire science Accuracy validity and reliability are characteristics of good measurement and data ensuring the quality of data collected but they are not the fundamental goals of the science itself