Which technique anticipates defects based on the tester's experience and knowledge?

The technique that anticipates defects based on the tester's experience and knowledge is error guessing. This method relies on the intuition and understanding a tester develops through their past experiences with similar systems or applications. Essentially, a tester uses their familiarity with common pitfalls, known issues, and general software behavior to predict where defects might occur.

Error guessing involves actively thinking about where possible weaknesses exist, leading to a targeted approach to testing. Testers might consider areas with complex logic, functions that have caused problems previously, or inputs that might elicit unexpected behavior. This technique is particularly useful in situations where other structured testing methods might not completely cover potential risk areas.

In contrast, exploratory testing is more about simultaneously learning the application and testing it without predefined test cases, which is a different approach to uncovering defects. Static testing focuses on reviewing documents, code, or other deliverables without executing the actual code, while dynamic testing involves executing the code and observing its behavior under various conditions. Each of these techniques serves a purpose, but it is error guessing that uniquely taps into the tester's expertise to foresee potential defects directly.