Vision Spaces (ViSpa) in Language Sciences

A Vision Space (ViSpa) is a mathematical structure in which concept's visual features are represented in a high-dimensional vector space, enabling quantitative analyses of relationships between them. By representing concepts as numeric vectors, ViSpa integrates visual knowledge into semantic models of concept representation, enriching how language research characterizes word meaning. The article presents the main approach for creating ViSpa systems, discusses studies demonstrating their validity as psychological models of concept representations with a special focus on language processing, and highlights their utility in addressing theoretical questions empirically. Additionally, it indicates some accessible resources and tools facilitating the creation and use of ViSpa.