This chapter introduces the fundamental methods of analyzing spike trains of single neurons that are used to characterize their encoding properties: raster plots, peri-stimulus time histograms, and tuning curves. There are prepackaged tools available for these methods. These tools analyze behavioral data recorded from motor areas of a macaque monkey. In general, neuroscientists are interesting in knowing what neurons are doing. More specifically, neuroscientists are often interested in neural encoding—how neurons represent stimuli from the outside world with changes in their firing properties. If one is studying a neuron from a motor area, the stimuli might be a set of stereotyped movements which the subject performs. Using standard electrophysiological techniques, one can record the response of the neuron to each stimulus. This chapter also examines what features these responses have in common by averaging over all responses to create a peri-stimulus time histogram.