  The parameterization process used in the symbolic computation systems Kenzo
and EAT is studied here as a general construction in a categorical framework.
This parameterization process starts from a given specification and builds a
parameterized specification by transforming some operations into parameterized
operations, which depend on one additional variable called the parameter. Given
a model of the parameterized specification, each interpretation of the
parameter, called an argument, provides a model of the given specification.
Moreover, under some relevant terminality assumption, this correspondence
between the arguments and the models of the given specification is a bijection.
It is proved in this paper that the parameterization process is provided by a
free functor and the subsequent parameter passing process by a natural
transformation. Various categorical notions are used, mainly adjoint functors,
pushouts and lax colimits.
