the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon reflects that retrieval is a(n)

step-by-step process that moves closer to the target - The tip of  the tongue phenomenon is a situation in which a person tries to recall a target word, that he/she knows, but is finding it hard to retrieve it from memory. During this phenomenon, the brain goes through a step by  step process to find the word from memory. The search is first driven by the first cue-the definition of the solicited word, this narrows down the search to finding and producing phonemic parts of the word (probable sounds the word may have). The last step is finally producing the target word, causing a release of tension from the body.

True. r u cheating on a test. bro not cool.