diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/AclNode.php b/lib/Cake/Model/AclNode.php
index 313a297bd..e74cb01b9 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/AclNode.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/AclNode.php
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class AclNode extends AppModel {
  *
  * @var array
  */
-	public $actsAs = array('Tree' => array('nested'));
+	public $actsAs = array('Tree' => array('type' => 'nested'));
 
 /**
  * Constructor
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/AclBehavior.php b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/AclBehavior.php
index 3d106394b..c5d2380e8 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/AclBehavior.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/AclBehavior.php
@@ -36,16 +36,13 @@ class AclBehavior extends ModelBehavior {
 	protected $_typeMaps = array('requester' => 'Aro', 'controlled' => 'Aco', 'both' => array('Aro', 'Aco'));
 
 /**
- * Sets up the configuation for the model, and loads ACL models if they haven't been already
+ * Sets up the configuration for the model, and loads ACL models if they haven't been already
  *
  * @param Model $model
  * @param array $config
  * @return void
  */
 	public function setup($model, $config = array()) {
-		if (is_string($config)) {
-			$config = array('type' => $config);
-		}
 		$this->settings[$model->name] = array_merge(array('type' => 'controlled'), (array)$config);
 		$this->settings[$model->name]['type'] = strtolower($this->settings[$model->name]['type']);
 
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/ContainableBehavior.php b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/ContainableBehavior.php
index 9c057f40b..f76d2f8d2 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/ContainableBehavior.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/ContainableBehavior.php
@@ -64,9 +64,6 @@ class ContainableBehavior extends ModelBehavior {
 		if (!isset($this->settings[$Model->alias])) {
 			$this->settings[$Model->alias] = array('recursive' => true, 'notices' => true, 'autoFields' => true);
 		}
-		if (!is_array($settings)) {
-			$settings = array();
-		}
 		$this->settings[$Model->alias] = array_merge($this->settings[$Model->alias], $settings);
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
index dc1aa8cf3..d5a866fbc 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/Behavior/TreeBehavior.php
@@ -55,9 +55,6 @@ class TreeBehavior extends ModelBehavior {
  * @return void
  */
 	public function setup($Model, $config = array()) {
-		if (!is_array($config)) {
-			$config = array('type' => $config);
-		}
 		$settings = array_merge($this->_defaults, $config);
 
 		if (in_array($settings['scope'], $Model->getAssociated('belongsTo'))) {
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/Behavior/AclBehaviorTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/Behavior/AclBehaviorTest.php
index a4ebef417..cdaed2bca 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/Behavior/AclBehaviorTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/Behavior/AclBehaviorTest.php
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class AclPerson extends CakeTestModel {
  *
  * @var array
  */
-	public $actsAs = array('Acl' => 'both');
+	public $actsAs = array('Acl' => array('type' => 'both'));
 
 /**
  * belongsTo property
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ class AclUser extends CakeTestModel {
  *
  * @var array
  */
-	public $actsAs = array('Acl' => 'requester');
+	public $actsAs = array('Acl' => array('type' => 'requester'));
 
 /**
  * parentNode
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ class AclPost extends CakeTestModel {
  *
  * @var array
  */
-	public $actsAs = array('Acl' => 'Controlled');
+	public $actsAs = array('Acl' => array('type' => 'Controlled'));
 
 /**
  * parentNode
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ObjectCollectionTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ObjectCollectionTest.php
index 92d1ad009..a7dbc1312 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ObjectCollectionTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Utility/ObjectCollectionTest.php
@@ -402,6 +402,16 @@ class ObjectCollectionTest extends CakeTestCase {
 			'Apple' => array('class' => 'Banana.Apple', 'settings' => array('foo' => 'bar')),
 		);
 		$this->assertEquals($expected, $result);
+		
+		// This is the result after Controller::_mergeVars
+		$components = array(
+			'Html' => null,
+			'Foo.Bar' => array('one', 'two'),
+			'Something' => null,
+			'Banana.Apple' => array('foo' => 'bar')
+		);
+		$result = ObjectCollection::normalizeObjectArray($components);
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $result);
 	}
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Utility/ObjectCollection.php b/lib/Cake/Utility/ObjectCollection.php
index 2b6c68510..9406b76c6 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Utility/ObjectCollection.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Utility/ObjectCollection.php
@@ -247,7 +247,8 @@ abstract class ObjectCollection {
 		foreach ($objects as $i => $objectName) {
 			$options = array();
 			if (!is_int($i)) {
-				list($options, $objectName) = array($objectName, $i);
+				$options = (array)$objectName;
+				$objectName = $i;
 			}
 			list($plugin, $name) = pluginSplit($objectName);
 			$normal[$name] = array('class' => $objectName, 'settings' => $options);