diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php b/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php
index 6362166a3..bed3419c1 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php
@@ -1621,9 +1621,10 @@ class Model extends Object implements CakeEventListener {
 		}
 
 		if (!empty($options['fieldList'])) {
-			$this->whitelist = $options['fieldList'];
 			if (!empty($options['fieldList'][$this->alias]) && is_array($options['fieldList'][$this->alias])) {
 				$this->whitelist = $options['fieldList'][$this->alias];
+			} elseif (Hash::dimensions($options['fieldList']) < 2) {
+				$this->whitelist = $options['fieldList'];
 			}
 		} elseif ($options['fieldList'] === null) {
 			$this->whitelist = array();
@@ -2338,7 +2339,10 @@ class Model extends Object implements CakeEventListener {
 			$options['fieldList'][$this->alias][] = $key;
 			return $options;
 		}
-		if (!empty($options['fieldList']) && is_array($options['fieldList'])) {
+		if (!empty($options['fieldList']) &&
+			is_array($options['fieldList']) &&
+			Hash::dimensions($options['fieldList']) < 2
+		) {
 			$options['fieldList'][] = $key;
 		}
 		return $options;
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/ModelValidator.php b/lib/Cake/Model/ModelValidator.php
index cddf27b5d..f85133881 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/ModelValidator.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/ModelValidator.php
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
  */
 
 App::uses('CakeValidationSet', 'Model/Validator');
+App::uses('Hash', 'Utility');
 
 /**
  * ModelValidator object encapsulates all methods related to data validations for a model
@@ -394,11 +395,11 @@ class ModelValidator implements ArrayAccess, IteratorAggregate, Countable {
 		}
 		unset($fieldList);
 
-		$validateList = array();
-		if (empty($whitelist)) {
+		if (empty($whitelist) || Hash::dimensions($whitelist) > 1) {
 			return $this->_fields;
 		}
 
+		$validateList = array();
 		$this->validationErrors = array();
 		foreach ((array)$whitelist as $f) {
 			if (!empty($this->_fields[$f])) {
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelValidationTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelValidationTest.php
index 5dd9fe2c9..031a9436f 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelValidationTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelValidationTest.php
@@ -1522,7 +1522,7 @@ class ModelValidationTest extends BaseModelTest {
  * @return void
  */
 	public function testValidateAssociated() {
-		$this->loadFixtures('Comment', 'Attachment');
+		$this->loadFixtures('Comment', 'Attachment', 'Article', 'User');
 		$TestModel = new Comment();
 		$TestModel->Attachment->validate = array('attachment' => 'notEmpty');
 
@@ -1539,6 +1539,18 @@ class ModelValidationTest extends BaseModelTest {
 		$result = $TestModel->validateAssociated($data);
 		$this->assertFalse($result);
 
+		$fieldList = array(
+			'Attachment' => array('comment_id')
+		);
+		$result = $TestModel->saveAll($data, array(
+			'fieldList' => $fieldList, 'validate' => 'only'
+		));
+		$this->assertTrue($result);
+		$this->assertEmpty($TestModel->validationErrors);
+		$result = $TestModel->validateAssociated($data, array('fieldList' => $fieldList));
+		$this->assertTrue($result);
+		$this->assertEmpty($TestModel->validationErrors);
+
 		$TestModel->validate = array('comment' => 'notEmpty');
 		$record = array(
 			'Comment' => array(
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelWriteTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelWriteTest.php
index fbd63b475..b4864e0c2 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelWriteTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelWriteTest.php
@@ -6536,7 +6536,7 @@ class ModelWriteTest extends BaseModelTest {
 			'order' => 'Post.id ASC',
 		));
 		$expected = array(
-			'Post' => array (
+			'Post' => array(
 				'id' => '4',
 				'author_id' => '5',
 				'title' => 'Post without body',
@@ -6545,7 +6545,7 @@ class ModelWriteTest extends BaseModelTest {
 				'created' => self::date(),
 				'updated' => self::date(),
 			),
-			'Author' => array (
+			'Author' => array(
 				'id' => '5',
 				'user' => 'bob',
 				'password' => null,
@@ -6559,6 +6559,66 @@ class ModelWriteTest extends BaseModelTest {
 		$this->assertEquals('', $result[3]['Post']['body']);
 		$this->assertEquals('working', $result[3]['Author']['test']);
 
+		$fieldList = array(
+			'Post' => array('title')
+		);
+		$data = array(
+			'Post' => array(
+				'title' => 'Post without body 2',
+				'body' => 'This will not be saved'
+			),
+			'Author' => array(
+				'user' => 'jack'
+			)
+		);
+		$TestModel->saveAll($data, array('fieldList' => $fieldList));
+		$result = $TestModel->find('all', array(
+			'order' => 'Post.id ASC',
+		));
+		$this->assertNull($result[4]['Post']['body']);
+
+		$fieldList = array(
+			'Author' => array('password')
+		);
+		$data = array(
+			'Post' => array(
+				'id' => '5',
+				'title' => 'Post title',
+				'body' => 'Post body'
+			),
+			'Author' => array(
+				'id' => '6',
+				'user' => 'will not change',
+				'password' => 'foobar'
+			)
+		);
+		$result = $TestModel->saveAll($data, array('fieldList' => $fieldList));
+		$this->assertTrue($result);
+
+		$result = $TestModel->find('all', array(
+			'order' => 'Post.id ASC',
+		));
+		$expected = array(
+			'Post' => array(
+				'id' => '5',
+				'author_id' => '6',
+				'title' => 'Post title',
+				'body' => 'Post body',
+				'published' => 'N',
+				'created' => self::date(),
+				'updated' => self::date()
+			),
+			'Author' => array(
+				'id' => '6',
+				'user' => 'jack',
+				'password' => 'foobar',
+				'created' => self::date(),
+				'updated' => self::date(),
+				'test' => 'working'
+			),
+		);
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $result[4]);
+
 		// test multirecord
 		$this->db->truncate($TestModel);