diff --git a/lib/active_resource/formats/json_format.rb b/lib/active_resource/formats/json_format.rb
index 3bbe8da34a..7ca8c83944 100644
--- a/lib/active_resource/formats/json_format.rb
+++ b/lib/active_resource/formats/json_format.rb
@@ -19,9 +19,10 @@ def encode(resource, options = nil)
         resource.to_json(options)
       end
 
-      def decode(json)
+      def decode(json, remove_root = true)
         return nil if json.nil?
-        Formats.remove_root(ActiveSupport::JSON.decode(json))
+        hash = ActiveSupport::JSON.decode(json)
+        remove_root ? Formats.remove_root(hash) : hash
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/active_resource/formats/xml_format.rb b/lib/active_resource/formats/xml_format.rb
index f86ab56115..3d314d04a3 100644
--- a/lib/active_resource/formats/xml_format.rb
+++ b/lib/active_resource/formats/xml_format.rb
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ def encode(resource, options = {})
         resource.to_xml(options)
       end
 
-      def decode(xml)
-        Formats.remove_root(Hash.from_xml(xml))
+      def decode(xml, remove_root = true)
+        hash = Hash.from_xml(xml)
+        remove_root ? Formats.remove_root(hash) : hash
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/active_resource/validations.rb b/lib/active_resource/validations.rb
index d1a63d9300..c9d2c0b6f8 100644
--- a/lib/active_resource/validations.rb
+++ b/lib/active_resource/validations.rb
@@ -54,14 +54,14 @@ def from_hash(messages, save_cache = false)
 
     # Grabs errors from a json response.
     def from_json(json, save_cache = false)
-      decoded = ActiveSupport::JSON.decode(json) || {} rescue {}
+      decoded = Formats[:json].decode(json, false) || {} rescue {}
       errors = decoded["errors"] || {}
       from_hash errors, save_cache
     end
 
     # Grabs errors from an XML response.
     def from_xml(xml, save_cache = false)
-      array = Array.wrap(Hash.from_xml(xml)["errors"]["error"]) rescue []
+      array = Array.wrap(Formats[:xml].decode(xml, false)["errors"]["error"]) rescue []
       from_array array, save_cache
     end
   end