The systematic study of persuasion began during World War II, when the US Army recognized that fighting a nation mesmerized by Hitler would require bolstering troop motivation and rallying popular support for the war. They sought help from Yale University psychologist Carl Hovland and his associates, who produced what has become a well-known model of persuasion, comprising three groups of variables related to the communicator, the audience, and the message.
对说服能力的系统性研究始于二战，因为美军意识到与被希特勒蛊惑的民族作战需要鼓舞军队士气，并说服民众支持战争。他们向耶鲁大学心理学家卡尔·霍夫兰及其同事寻求帮助，前者的研究结果成就了由沟通者、受众和信息等三组变量组成的著名的说服模型。