The three fundamental goals of behavior analysis as a science are description prediction and control Description involves observing and describing behavior and the environmental events in which it occurs This is the initial step to build a foundation of understanding Prediction refers to discovering correlations between events Based on repeated observations we can anticipate the occurrence of a behavior under certain conditions though this does not imply causation Control is the highest level of scientific understanding achieved when a functional relation is demonstrated This means that a specific change in the independent variable reliably produces a specific change in the dependent variable behavior By manipulating environmental variables behavior analysts aim to exert control over behavior to improve socially significant outcomes The other options represent different concepts Prediction verification and replication are components of experimental design and the hallmarks of scientific inquiry particularly in singlesubject designs but not the overarching goals of the entire field Determinism parsimony and experimentation are attitudes or philosophical assumptions of science often referred to as philosophical underpinnings of behavior analysis Accurate valid and reliable are characteristics of good data measurement indicating the quality of the data collected rather than the goals of the science itself