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A great deal of recent research on communication has been developed in the general area of narrative or narrative effects. The majority of this work has brought in older communication concepts without reconciling those concepts with what has been learned about narrative in other social sciences. This review covers some of the major points from research on narrative to help expand the knowledge base and suggest directions for additional work in the field of communication.

Based on a survey of 364 households in a small northeastern city, this study used factor analysis to compare the surveillance role and communication utility of television and newspapers. The study, reflecting a uses and gratifications approach, defines surveillance as meeting readers'/viewers' need to know about community and world events, and communicatory utility as providing readers/viewers with information to use in social interaction with others. The study finds much variance explained by these two uses, plus finds those who seek hard news on television also seek hard news in newspapers. News information-seeking behavior held across television and newspapers.

Reciprocal influence of spouses on one another's television behavior are examined over a one-week period. Correlation between spouses in their viewing behavior revealed mixed evidence for either spouse exerting influence over the other. Inconsistencies were found between two separate samples, which may be due to the presence of others in the household exerting influence.

Several recent research efforts have focused on the notion that media dependencies act as causal mechanisms in affecting individuals' information needs and uses of the mass media. The present study examines two separate research positions; one of newspaper and television dependencies acting as latent variables in a causal manner, and the other of primary reliance upon a given medium acting as a contingent condition under which to examine media use. Maximum likelihood estimates of measurement models related to the two propositions are formulated and tested for adequate fit to media use behaviors. Results are interpreted as indicating greater support for analysis of media use behaviors contingent upon medium of primary reliance.

This article defines dual-concept diversity as a two-dimensional construct that holds a central place of study in many fields, including communication. The authors present 12 measures of dual-concept diversity appearing in the literature and assess the differential sensitivity of these measures in capturing the two dimensions. After assessing each measure and eliminating measures that are redundant or computationally intractable, the article compares the remaining measures of diversity in a time series of 30 years of network radio programming. Graphic and statistical interrelationships are presented to facilitate comparison and choice between measures in future research.

This study adopts a broad approach to problems associated with confusion in the literature on media orientations and political processes. Three different dependent variables representing cognition, attitude and behavior are examined in relation to multiple measures of media dependence: time spent, reliance, exposure to content, level of attention and gratifications sought. Results suggest complex relationships between media use and the dependent variables and again confirm an integrative role for television that is often hidden in analyses based on simple exposure time.