DYNAMIC AND STOCHASTIC INFLUENCES ON SPIRAL STRUCTURE IN THE FLOCCULANT SPIRAL NGC-4414

We present new H alpha, CO, and H I images of the high gas surface den sity flocculent spiral NGC 4414 and compare them to recently published near-infrared observations that reveal kiloparsec-scale structures in the inner disk. The subtraction of an estimated supergiant contributi on confirms that the near-infrared enhancements represent primarily va riations in the surface density of the old stellar population. As mate rial structures of kiloparsec extent cannot be maintained in a differe ntially rotating disk for sufficiently long times to be discernible in the old stellar population, the near-infrared observations suggest th at global dynamical processes contribute to the formation of structure in NGC 4414. However variations in the distribution of CO, H I, and H alpha peaks with respect to near infrared ''arm'' structures suggest that stochastic processes are also important.