RichFaces rich:picklist Backing Bean Value

Using the value parameter (e.g. value="#{SessionBean1.ASelect}) can be very confusing if you want the value of the backing bean to be updated correctly. I tried extensively to get it working properly with an ArrayList backing bean, but it just doesn't seem to work properly as far as I can see. On the other hand using a simple Object or String array does. Something like the following is fine:

    private String[] aSelect = {};
    public String[] getASelect() {return aSelect;}
    public void setASelect(String[] aSelect) {this.aSelect = aSelect;}